ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE AND GLYCOGEN IN HUMAN ENDOMETRIUM

Abstract

Histochemical reactions for alkaline phosphatase and glycogen were done in 73 specimens of human endometrium obtained by biopsy. Silver staining techniques for glycogen and Gomori''s procedure for alkaline phophatase were favored in this study. The amt. of the enzyme increases during the estrogenic phase and declines during the progestational phase, whereas the opposite happens for glycogen. Both substances tend to disappear during menstruation. The enzyme was abundant in the endometrium of hypothyroid patients. Glycogen was demonstrated in morphologically pure estrogenic specimens either hypo- or hyperplastic. It is assumed that estrogen and progesterone act upon the endometrium through a mechanism in which the enzyme and the carbohydrate play a prominent role. Histochemical study of the endometrium is highly desirable, particularly in cases of sterility.