Lysosomal hydrolase activity in leucocytes from cattle, sheep, goats, horses and pigs

Activities of lysosomal hydrolases were measured in the leucocytes of cattle, sheep, goats, horses and pigs. There was high activity of arylsulphatase in leucocytes from cattle, high activities of alpha-fucosidase and beta-glucuronidase in leucocytes from horses and high activity of acid phosphatase in granulocytes from pigs. Within species, arylsulphatase and beta-galactosidase activities were higher in granulocytes than in mononuclear cells, but beta-glucuronidase, phosphodiesterase and alpha-galactosidase activities were higher in mononuclear cells than in granulocytes. Eosinophils of cattle, sheep, goats and horses contained at least 10 times the activity of alpha-mannosidase and arylsulphatase found in neutrophils. For most of the other enzymes studied, there were differences in cattle and goats but not in sheep, horses or pigs between their specific activities in neutrophils and eosinophils.