Histochemical observations of polyglucose synthesized by enzyme activities in human gastric carcinoma.

Polyglucose particles histochemically synthesized from glucose 1-phosphate by phosphorylase and branching glycosyltransferase were observed in the gastric carcinoma cells, in intestinal metaplastic epithelium of the gastric mucosa and in fetal epithelium of the fetal gastric mucosa by light and electron microscopical studies. Light microscopical observations resembled those in previous reports. As for the electron microscopical observations, in gastric carcinoma cells, the polyglucaose synthesizing area were expansively widened by a deposition of synthesized polyglucose particles. Three patterns of their intracellular distribution, (Focal type, scattered type and singly deposited type) were observed. Besides, two types of polyglucose particle were synthesized. One type appeared as monoparticles which were relatively similar in size and the other type appeared as rosette-like structures which varied in size. Larger polyglucose particles which resembled the polyglucose particle synthesized in the fetal epithelium were observed among them. In the intestinal metaplastic epithelium, polyglucose particles which were similar in size were synthesized in narrow focal areas of the cytoplasmic matrix. The distribution, shape and size of polyglucose particles synthesized in the carcinoma cells were irregular as compared with those in the intestinal metaplastic elpithelium. It seems that these irregularities were due to the influence of enzymne deviation caused by carcinoma.