Complex carbohydrates in the secretory epithelium of the goat prostate.

The complex carbohydrates in the epithelium of the goat prostate were studied with a battery of light microscopical histochemical methods that included peroxidase-labelled lectin-diaminobenzidine (PO-LT-DAB) procedures. The secretory epithelial cells were found to be of three types: (a) mucus-producing cells, (b) protein-secreting cells, and (c) cells intermediate between (a) and (b). All these cell types contained variable amounts of neutral and acidic complex carbohydrates. The histophysiological significances of these substances in the glandular cells are discussed with special reference to the function of the accessory sex glands.