[Histochemistry of the oxidation-reduction enzymes in the cells of neuroectodermal tumors]

The activity of 8 enzymes (dehydrogenase and diaphorase) in cells of 110 neuroectodermal tumours was studied. The overall assessment showed that the activity of these enzymes varied: the highest was noted for NAD-diaphorase and lactadehydrogenase, the lowest--for enzymes of Krebs' cycle. The activity of dehydrogenase and diaphorase was different in neuroectodermal tumours of different origin. Not infrequently, there was observed "enzymatic polymorphism" of the cells of one and the same tumour. A higher activity of these enzymes in tumour cells, as a rule, correlated with a greater amount of cytoplasma and with a shift to the latter of the nucleo-cytoplasmatic ratio. Metabolism of tumour and reactively hypertrophied astrocytes, as judged by some histochemical findings, showed traits of similarity.