QUANTITATIVE HISTOCHEMICAL DETERMINATION OF PHOSPHATASE BY MEANS OF RADIOACTIVE LEAD

Abstract

The Gomori-Takamatsu phosphatase histochemical reaction can be made quantitative with the required precision, if PbNO3 solution labeled with radio-active Thorium B is used. Making use of an adequate perforated Pb disc, or microcounter, the enzyme content of the various details of the histological preparations proves to be measurable, and these details may be examined at the same time through the microscope. The proceedings seem to be suitable for the measurement of the enzyme content of structural details which proved to be inaccessible to the microchemical methods. Similar application of radioactive isotopes may render quantitative many histochemical reactions.