[Histochemical study of the enzymatic activity of cultivated human macroglial brain tumors]

A histichemical study is presented of the activity of some redox enzymes (succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, NAD-diaphorase and lactate dehydrogenase) in 37 cultured human glial brain tumours. The stages of cell activity at different periods of tumour cultivation and the level of their differentiation in the initial tissue were taken into consideration. The examined tumour cultures showed enzymatic cell polymorphizm. During of period of adaptation of explants, the activity of the Krebs cycle enzymes was low to increase during differentiation and proliferation of cultures. The activity of lactate dehydrogenase elevated in tumour cells from cultures of dedifferentiated astrocytomas and glioblastomas mith marked anaplasia. The activity of this enzyme increased also in the course of advanced necrobiotic changes in the tumour cells.