Hodgkin's disease--a histochemical study with special emphasis on the character of Hodgkin's cell and Reed-Sternberg cell.

Enzyme histochemical and immunohistochemical study was carried out on 16 cases of Hodgkin's disease in order to elucidate the origin of Hodgkin's cell and Reed-Sternberg cell. Both Hodgkin's cell and Reed-Sternberg cell do not have tumor markers such as lysosome enzyme, alpha-fetoprotein, and fibronectin, and these cells do not form either Es or EoxACm rosettes. A great number of cells in most cases contained intracytoplasmic immunoglobulin and showed gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity on the cell membrane and in cytoplasm. Since gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase is an enzyme related to the transport of amino acid into cell, it is assumed that there is an intake of amino acid in these cells followed by synthesis of protein. Enzyme histochemically, both Hodgkin's cells and Reed-Sternberg cells resemble multiple myeloma cells rather than B-cells in acute lymphocytic leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia and T-cells or monocytes.