[Histochemical study of the phosphomonoesterases of cells producing steroid hormones]

The results of detection of phosphatases with different substrates in the cells forming steroid hormones in ovaries, testes and adrenals of newborn seals, ovaries of adult seals and adrenals of adult rabbits, dogs and man were compared. The first group of substrates includes sodium glycerophosphate, glucose-1-phosphate, nitrophenylphosphate (Gomori's sulfide method). The second group includes naphthol phosphates AS-BI, AS-MX and AS-BS, whose hydrolysis is determined by simultaneous and successive azocoupling with diazotized benzidine and stable diazotates by fast blue and fast cherry-coloured. Detection of phosphomonesterases in the cells forming steroid hormones with these two groups of substrates gives absolutely different results which are presented in the table. These results are thought to be associated with presence of the isoenzyme, intensively splitting azotholphosphates, but inhibited by the diazonium salt. This isoenzyme is found mainly in the cells producing steroid hormones.