-We studied the effects of smoking, which is one of indoor-environmental pollutants and related to various cancers, on glycoconjugates of rat sebaceous glands with the lectin histochemistry. To investigate the effects of smoking on glycoconjugates, male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to tabacco smoke for 10 minutes per day in an inhalation chamber for 1, 2, 3, and 5 days with active and passive exposure. For the structure of sebaceous glands we used PAS reaction, and for the glycoconjugates binding pattern 9 biotinylated lectins (DBA, SBA, PNA, BSL-1, WGA, RCA-1, UEA-1, Con A, and LCA) were used. Some remarkable changes, such as the decrease in the size of sebaceous glandular acini, the destruction of upper portion of sebaceous glands, vacuolation of central portion of sebocytes, and the immature sebaceous glandular acini were seen in the smoke-exposed rats. In the control rats, basal cells were stained with BSL-1, PNA and WGA, but the stronger reaction was founded in BSL-1 binding. Also, sebocytes were stained with PNA, WGA, Con A, BSL-1 and SBA, but stronger reactions were founded in PNA and Con A stainings. Specific changes in the lectin binding patterns were also observed in the smoke-exposed rats. In the basal cells of exposed rats, PNA binding increased, BSL-1 decreased but returned to control level, and WGA disappeared. Plus, immature glandular acini, which were not found in the control rats, were stained PNA, Con A and BSL-1, but the stronger reaction were founded in PNA and Con A binding. In conclusion, it was assumed that the tabacco smoke seriously effected on the structure and glycoconjugates metabolism of sebaceous glands.
