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Investigation of the binding affinity, the concentration and the DNA binding ability of the sex steroid receptors in transformed human cervical tissue has shown considerable changes in comparison to normal specimens. Lower level of hormone receptors and higher dissociation constants are the essential characteristics of the majority of analysed transformed tissue specimens. The DNA binding of steroid-receptor complexes is in agreement with mentionated data. These preliminary results are just one more evidence on the existence of relationship between modified properties of sex steroid receptors and different histological alterations of their target tissues. Further investigations are necessary to make some conclusion about the possible involvement of estrogen and progesterone receptors in pathological transformation of the portio vaginalis uteri.

20 specimens of normal endocervix, 30 of chronic cervicitis, 20 of endocervical polyps and 10 of adenocarcinomas were histochemically investigated in order to assess their mucin pattern. Diastase periodic acid-Schiff (D-PAS), Alcian blue pH 2.5 (AB), High iron-diamine (HID) and HID followed by Alcian blue pH 2.5 (HID-AB) were used. Both the superficial and glandular epithelium of the normal endocervix contained abundant amounts of neutral mucins. Generally sialomucins were scarce and predominant over sulphomucins: the latter were in some cases absent in the proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle and increased in the secretory phase. In chronic cervicitis a slight amount of sulphomucins in the residual glandular epithelium, especially in areas presenting severe inflammation, pseudoerosion, or both was observed. Nabothian cysts mainly contained sulphomucins. In the endocervical polyps, the mucin pattern was various. In adenocarcinomas mucin secretion was usually scanty and mixed with a predominance of sialomucins. Therefore resulted: the mucin pattern of the normal endocervical epithelium is related to the menstrual cycle; the histochemical evaluation of mucous secretion, presently doesn't seem to be helpful in differentiating endocervical from endometrial adenocarcinomas.