ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC STUDY ON THE STROMAL STRUCTURE OF ORAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA

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Using VX2 carcinoma transplanted into the tongue of domestic rabbits, morphological changes in the collagen fibers of the tongue tumor and metastatic lymph nodes as well as the kinetics of the enzymatic activities of collagenase and plasminogen activator were examined. The relation between these enzymes was analyzed with reference to degradation of collagen fibers in the tumor tissue, and the levels of these enzymes in the serum and urine.Light microscopic examination revealed that the tongue tumor grew rapidly 7 days after transplantation, associated with increased cells in the stroma. Observations using Fastgreen and Sirius-red stain indicated that collagen fibers gradually disappeared as the tumor grew. However, no marked changes were observed in the collagen fibers of metastatic foci in the deep cervical lymph nodes.Scanning electron microscopic observation used concurrently with the NaOH maceration method revealed stereoscopically that collagen fibers in tongue tumor were compress … More ed and degraded, and the architecture of the collagen tissue was coarse in the metastatic foci of the lymph nodes, suggesting that degradation of collagen fibers had occurred.Collagenase activity peaked in the center of the tongue tumor 14 days after transplantation. Collagenase activity in the polymorphonuclear leukocytes in peripheral blood increased and peaked 21 days after transplantation.Plasminogen activator exhibited a time-dependent increase in activity in the center and marginal regions of the tongue tumor. There was also a significant increase in plasminogen activator rapidly decreased in the serum after transplantation, but significantly increased in the urine 21 days after transplantation.These results indicate that collagenase and plasminogen activator show different kinetics, but when they interact, both enzymes become deeply involved in the degradation and lysis of collagen fibers. Furthermore, analysis of blood and urine for collagenase and plasminogen activator activity provides useful clinical parameter for the estimation of tumor growth. Less