Formaldehyde-ozone-induced fluorescence in gastrin-producing tumours

Abstract

Material from eight peptide hormone-secreting tumours, extirpated from the pancreas or from the antrum-duodenum region, was examined. Four of the patients had the clinical manifestations of the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, two showed the features of an insulin-secreting tumour and one had a glucagonoma. Gastrin-producing cells, identified by immunohistochemistry, were found in five of the tumours. These cells displayed a varying degree of formaldehyde-ozone-induced fluorescence. This agrees with previous observations on the gastrin cell of human antral and duodenal mucosa. From model experiments, formaldehyde-ozone-induced fluorescence is thought to reflect the presence of peptides having tryptophan in the NH2-terminal position. The nature of this peptide in gastrin-producing cells is unknown.

Methods in Neuroendocrine Histopathology, A Methodological Overview

“…In histochemical models, tryptamine and peptides with the NH2-terminal tryptophan give rise to a yellow fluorescence (59,60). With this method, ACTH, gastrin and glucagon cells as well as C-cells of the thyroid display fluorescence (61)(62)(63)(64).…”