Phosphatases and esterases activity in the brain following an acute sublimate intoxication.

Experiment studies were performed on rats that were administered mercury chloride sublimate with a special gastric cannule in a single 6 mg dose for four consecutive days. As a result of the investigations some changes in the phosphates and esterases activity were revealed. The diminution of AcP, AIP, ATP-ase and AChE activity as well as in the increase in TPP-ase activity in the neurocytes, and also the appearance on NsE activity in many oligodendrocytes was observed. The fall in ATP-ase activity was, above all, observable in cerebral and cerebellar capillaries, which is, in the authors opinion, a manifestation of enzymatic damage to the blood-brain barrier due to a toxic action of mercuric chloride. In the discussion attention was drawn to differences in the degree of enzymatic activity between a mercuric chloride intoxication and that with mercurous chloride, as well as attempt was made to explain the pathogenetic mechanism of this phenomenon. Furthermore, notice was brought to the fact that in the course of sublimate encephalopathy no changes are observed in BuTJ activity.