Histological and histochemical studies on cholesteatoma epidermis

Abstract

For the establishment of a better therapy for cholesteatoma otitis, an exact knowledge of its pathogenesis is necessary. The present study has been attempted to know the functional characteristics of cholesteatoma epithelium by histochemical and histological techniques.Histochemical investigations concerning PAS reaction, acid and alkaline phosphatases, aldolase, lactate dehydrogenase, DPN diaphorase, succinate dehydrogenase and also leucine aminopeptidase were performed. On the other hand, the cholesteatoma tissues were stained by H.E., Van Gieson and methylgreen-pyronin for general morphology.The epithelium of normal skin taken from the affected patients was utilized as control.In the cholesteatoma epithelium, the stratum spinosum was stained intensely with the PAS reaction, rather than the stratum corneum, stratum granulosum and stratum basalis. In the skin epidermis, there was a slight PAS reaction, the hypodermis of both cholesteatorna and skin being stained weakly. Acid phosphatase activity was characterized with the high reaction in the stratum granulosum, while the level of the enzyme activity of acid phosphatase in the cholesteatoma epithelium was relatively lower than that in the skin. There was no alkaline phosphatase in the cholesteatoma or in the skin. Lactate dehydrogenase and DPN diaphorase activities were found intensely only in the stratum basalis of cholesteatoma tissues. The skin exhibited strong reactions of these enzymes in every layer. Leucine aminopeptidase and Aldolase characteristics were never demonstrated in cholesteatoma epithelium.Succinate dehydrogenase activity in cholesteatoma epithelium was weak in the stratum corneum, but moderate in the stratum granulosum.It was concluded that most of the enzyme activities examined in cholesteatoma epithelium showed weaker reactions than normal skin.