Histochemical detection of alpha-D-galactosidase with 5-Br-4-Cl-3-indoxyl alpha-D-galactoside

5-Br-4-Cl-3-indoxyl alpha-D-galactoside was used as a new substrate in azoindoxyl, indigogenic, and tetrazolium procedures for the detection of alpha-D-galactosidase in the light microscope. Compared with the simultaneous azo-dye methods using 1-naphthyl or 6-Br-2-naphthyl alpha-D-galactoside as substrates and hexazotized pararosaniline for simultaneous coupling, primarily the azoindoxyl method with hexazotized pararosaniline and the indigogenic technique proved to be superior. The azoindoxyl reaction is recommended for the localization of alpha-D-galactosidase in lysosomes when freeze-dried celloidin-coated cryostat sections are used: the indigogenic procedure should be employed for the detection of the total activity of the enzyme in combination with the technique of semipermeable membranes. The tetrazolium reaction delivered high amounts of formazan as the final reaction product; however, its localization was less precise than with the azoindoxyl and indigogenic methods. Conspicious species differences were found; except for the small intestine of suckling mice the highest activities of alpha-D-galactosidase were present in different immature and mature rat organs when compared with mouse, hamster, guinea-pig, marmoset monkey, and human tissues.