Zusammenfassung
Die Zellen maligner Melanome, Grenznaevuszellen und normale Melanocyten zeigen in gefrier-getrockneten Gewebsschnitten eine durch Formaldehyd hervorgerufene Fluorescenz. Dieselbe Fluorescenz konnte dann nachgewiesen werden, wenn die Gewebsstücke normal Formol-fixiert und in Paraffin eingebettet waren. Mikrospektrofluorimetrische Untersuchungen zeigten, daß der Charakter der Fluorescenz in allen drei Zelltypen ähnlich ist mit einem Aktivierungs- und Emissionsmaximum bei ungefähr 440 und 490 nm. Durch Salzsäurebehandlung wurde das Aktivierungsmaximum nicht beeinflußt. Die fluorescenzmikroskopische Untersuchung formaldehydfixierter Gewebsschnitte wird als einfache, wertvolle diagnostische Methode vorgeschlagen.
Summary
The presence of formaldehyde-induced fluorescence in malignant melanoma cells, junctional naevus cells and normal melanocytes has been confirmed in freeze-dried material. It has been found that the same fluorescence can be observed in formalin-fixed “routine” paraffin sections. Microspectrofluorimetry showed that the characteristics of the fluorescence are similar in all 3 types of cells, with excitation and emission maxima at about 440 and 490 nm respectively. The fluorescence excitation maximum is not affected by hydrochloric acid. It is suggested that fluorescence microscopy of formalin fixed sections is a simple and valuable diagnostic method.
References
Bancroft, J. D.: An introduction to histochemical technique. London: Butterworths 1967.
Baroni, B.: Contributo allo studio dei melanomi cutanei al lume di un moderno mezzo d'indagine: del microscopio a fluorescenza. Arch. ital. Derm. 9, 543–586 (1933).
Björklund, A., B. Ehinger, and B. Falck: A possibility for differentiating dopamine from noradrenaline in tissue sections by microspectrofluorimetry. Acta physiol. scand. 72, 253–254 (1968).
Chapman, J. H., T. H. Forster, G. Kortum, C. A. Parker, E. Lippert, W. H. Melhuish, and G. Nebbia: Proposal for standardisation of methods of reporting fluorescence emission spectra. Appl. Spectr. 17, 171 (1965).
Ehinger, B., B. Falck, S. Jacobsson, and H. Rorsman: Formaldehyde-induced fluorescence of intranuclear bodies in melanoma cells. Brit. J. Derm. 81, 115–118 (1969).
——, and H. Rorsman: Malignant melanomas of the eye as studied with a specific fluorescence method. Acta path. microbiol. scand. 69, 179–184 (1967).
Eränkö, O.: On the histochemistry of the adrenal medulla of the rat, with special reference to acid phosphatase. Acta anat. (Basel) 16, Suppl. 17, 1–60 (1952).
Falck, B.: Observations on the possibilities of the cellular localisation of monoamines by a fluorescence method. Acta physiol. scand. 56, Suppl. 197 (1962).
——, and A. Torp: Fluorescence of catecholamines and related compounds condensed with formaldehyde. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 10, 348–354 (1962).
——, and E. Rosengren: Determination of catecholamines, 5-Hydroxytryptamine and 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) in human malignant melanomas. Acta derm.-venereol. (Stockh.) 46, 65–67 (1966).
—— —— ——, and H. Rorsman: Pigmented nevi and malignant melanomas as studied with a specific fluorescence method. Science 149, 439–440 (1965).
-- -- -- -- Specific fluorescence in pigmented nevi and malignant melanomas. The Swedish Cancer Society Yearbook 1963–1965, No 4, 95–98 (1966a).
—— —— —— —— Fluorescent dopa reaction of neavi and melanomas. Arch. Derm. 94, 363 (1966b).
-- -- -- -- A. M. Rosengren, and E. Rosengren: On the occurrence of catechol derivatives in malignant melanomas. Communications from the Department of Anatomy, University of Lund, No 5 (1966c).
Haitinger, M.: Fluoreszenz-Mikroskopie. Leipzig: Akademie-Verlag. 1st edn., 1938; 2nd edn. (ed. J. Eisenbrand and G. Werth) 1959.
Olivecrona, H., and H. Rorsman: Fluorescence microscopy of malignant melanomas in the Syrian golden hamster. Acta derm.-venereol. (Stockh.) 46, 401–402 (1966).
—— —— The effect of Roentgen irradiation on the specific fluorescence of epidermal melanocytes. Acta derm.-venereol. (Stockh.) 46, 403–405 (1966).
Pearse, A. G. E.: Histochemistry, theoretical and applied, 3rd edn., vol. 1. London: Churchill 1968.
——, and F. W. D. Rost: A microspectrofluorimeter with epi-illumination and photon counting. J. Microscopy 89, 294–301 (1969).
Polak, M.: Blastomas del sistema nervioso central y periferico, p. 208 (Lopez Libreros edit.). Buenos Aires 1966.
Rigler, R.: Microfluorometric characterisation of intracellular nucleic acids and nucleoproteins by Acridine Orange. Acta physiol. scand. 67, Suppl. 267 (1966).
Ritzén, M.: Cytochemical identification and quantitation of biogenic amines. M. D. Thesis, Stockholm (1967).
Rost, F. W. D., and A. G. E. Pearse: Microspectrophotometry with epi-illumination. Proc. roy. micr. Soc. 3, 22 (1968).
Ruch, F.: Ein microspectrograph für absorptionsmessungen im ultravioletten Licht. Z. wiss. Mikr. 64, 453–468 (1960).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rost, F.W.D., Polak, J.M. Fluorescence microscopy and microspectrofluorimetry of malignant melanomas, naevi and normal melanocytes. Virchows Arch. Abt. A Path. Anat. 347, 321–326 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00542675
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00542675