Histochemical demonstration of glial enzyme activity. II. Reagent and neoplastic glia

: Enzyme activity changes in reagent and neoplastic glia are examined. In the case of reagent glia, considerably increased ADPase, ATPase and AMPase values have been observed in experimental elective parenchymal necrosis in the rat, in hypertrophic astrocytes from recent plaques in multiple necrosis, in demyelinisation associated with cyanide encephalopathy, and in reagent astrocytes surrounding tumours and arteriosclerosis sites. Depressed ATPase values have been observed in experimental oedema, as compared with increased TPPase in human oedema. BuChE and ChE activity disappears in both oligodendro- and astroglia near old cerebral infarct sites, whereas there is marked BuChE activity peripherally to multiple sclerosis plaques and in areas of phenylpyruvic oligophrenia demyelinisation. In neoplastic glia, ADPase is clearly evident in malignant gliomas, ATPase is related to the extent of the cell body, AMPase is positive in medulloblastoma cell cytoplasm and beta-glucuronidase increases in anaplasia. Above-normal ChE activity has been observed in astrocyte tumors, while BuChE is greater than that of AChE. Phosphorylase reaction is intense in astrocytoma and in glioblastoma giant cells. Phosphoglucomutase values are below-normal in tumours, except in the case of ependymoma, while both phosphohexoisomerase and hexokinase display increased activity in atypical forms.