Growth behavior and lineage of isolated and cultured cells derived from giant cell granuloma of the mandible.

A central giant cell granuloma of the mandible was fractionated into its mononuclear and multinuclear cellular constituents. The cells were subsequently grown in tissue culture. Sections from the original lesion and the cultured cells were analysed histochemically and immunocytochemically. Acid phosphatase, non-specific esterase, Lysozyme and alpha-1-antitrypsin were employed as markers for cells of histiocytic origin and Factor VIII-related antigen served as an endothelial cell marker. The mononuclear cells were of 2 types; a spindle-shaped cell and a round macrophage-like cell. The giant cells and the macrophage-like cells had a limited life span in culture and survived for up to 2 and 5 weeks respectively. However, the spindle-shaped cells continued to proliferate with a doubling time of 48 h. The giant cells and the macrophage-like cells were identical in their staining characteristics and showed positive staining for all the histiocytic markers tested. In contrast, the spindle-shaped cells were negative for those markers. None of the 3 cell types stained positively for Factor VIII-related antigen. These findings suggest that the giant cells in giant cell granuloma of the jaw are reactive, fully differentiated end-cells that are probably derived from stromal macrophages. The histogenesis of the spindle-shaped cell is not yet known. It is also shown in this study that the histochemical and in vitro growth characteristics of the cells of central giant cell granuloma of the mandible are analogous to those of giant cell tumors of long bones.