6th ESACP Congress, Heidelberg, April 7-11, 1999

A079
THE BIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF STRUCTURAL THERMODYNAMICS AND LIGAND PROPERTIES IN LUNG CANCER
Kayser K *, Baumhäkel JD *,Gabius HJ **

* Department of Pathology, Thoraxklinik, Heidelberg, ** Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University of München, München, Germany

Albeit numerous parameters of diagnostic importance for lung cancer have been suggested in the last years, the clinical significance is still limited to the application of simple features such as the TNM stage of performance status. The lung cancer burden of the patient's body is determined by the extent of the malignant growth described by the TNM stage. In addition, a lung cancer can be classified by the energy efficiency to create new structures and by the available intercellular communication structures. The close association of biological structure and function forms the basic theory of structural entropy, a term which measures the derivation of a formed texture from a biological ideal one, and that of current of structural entropy, a term which describes the entropy to be exported via the inner and outer surface of a solid cancer (2,3). The current of entropy has been reported to be closely associated with the patient's survival in both primary and secondary operated lung cancer (2). In addition, the extent of structural entropy and its current is related with the expression of certain carbohydrate ligands, for example the binding capacities for blood group A and H antigens. Additional substances with significant contribution to intercellular information exchange comprise ligands with oligosaccharide antennae and their endogenous receptors, especially galactose-binding proteins (galectins). The intra-tumorous distribution of presence and expression of binding capacities can, again, be described by the approach of structural entropy (2,3). Galectin-1 and galectin-3 have been reported to be involved in processes of cell growth regulation, cell adhesion and migration (1). First results show a remarkable prognostic significance of histochemically detectable presence of galectin-3 in primary and secondary lung tumors. The measurements of the structural entropy levels indicate the potential of galectins and their ligands for tissue pattern formation and give insight into the homogeneity and microenvironment of a malignant lung tumor in respect to these substances. First results of primary lung cancer confirm again the basic biological significance of the concept of structural entropy and the current of structural entropy.
References:
1. HJ Gabius: Animal lectins. Eur J Biochem 243:543-576,1997
2. K. Kayser, HJ. Gabius: Graph theory and the entropy concept in histochemistry. Progr Histochem Cytochem 32(2): 1-106,1997
3. K. Kayser, HJ. Gabius: How to apply thermodynamic principles to histochemical and morphometric tissue research: principles and practical outline with focus on glycosciences. Cell Tissue Res, 1999, in press