Synopsis
The activity and distribution of the following eighteen oxidative and hydrolytic enzyme systems have been investigated in the lung of the adult rat: reduced NAD dehydrogenase, reduced NADP dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glucose dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, β-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, glucose-6-phosphatase, adenosine triphosphatase, 5-nucleotidase, non-specific esterase, cytochrome oxidase and β-glucuronidase.
The low concentration of cells in sections of inflated lung may have made histochemical demonstration of some enzymes impossible because the enzyme concentration was below that detectable by the method employed.
The carboxylic acid cycle and the hexose monophosphate shunt were potentially active but fatty acid metabolism was not indicated.
The granular reaction sometimes encountered in alveolar cell cytoplasm may be useful for differentiating alveolar cell types, but further cytochemical studies are required to resolve the possible metabolic differences of alveolar cells.
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Barry, D.H., Robinson, W.E. Enzyme histochemical studies on rat lungs 2. Normal enzyme distribution in the alveolar tissue of the mature lung. Histochem J 1, 505–515 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01012857
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01012857