The phenotypic expression of the human epidermal growth factor (EGF) was investigated immunohistochemically in human foetal submandibular glands from the 5th to 10th month of gestation, adult normal submandibular glands and 48 cases of pleomorphic adenomas. In foetal submandibular glands, both the terminal buds and primary ducts at the intermediate stage of gestation were positive for EGF, and in particular, the outer layer cells of primary ducts showed strong EGF-immunoreactivity. EGF-positive cells decreased as the gestational stage advanced and only ductal cells were weakly positive for EGF at the terminal stage of gestation. In the adult normal submandibular gland, weak immunoreactivity for EGF was restricted to ductal cells. However, 41 (86%) of the 48 pleomorphic adenomas had EGF-positive cells which were distributed among the ductal, chondroid and myxoid portion. No EGF-immunoreactivity was detected in the solid portion of pleomorphic adenomas. These results suggest that EGF may play an important role in the growth and differentiation of foetal cells as well as the proliferation of tumour cells in pleomorphic adenomas.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.