[Histochemical studies of neutrophils in myocardial infarct patients]

Cytochemical assays of neutrophil acid phosphatase, beta-glucuronidase, N-acetyl-beta-D-glycosamidase (NAG), myeloperoxidase activities, and the Sudan black B test, were carried out in 25 patients with myocardial infarction. Leucocytosis seen in the early days of infarction was associated with increased proportion of neutrophils characterized by high activities of the enzymes in question and enhanced reaction with Sudan black B. Neutrophilosis of the early myocardial infarction may result from the activity of the marginal cell fraction. The fact that increased myeloperoxidase activity and the enhanced response to Sudan black B persist through 14 days of the disease, coupled with a rise in neutrophil NAG activity on day 14, expands possibilities of myocardial infarction diagnosis.