N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase in lymphocytes of patients with diabetes mellitus.

In 55 patients with diabetes mellitus the significant quantitative increase in numbers of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase-positive lymphocytes in the peripheral blood has been examined by cytochemical methods. The enzyme-positive lymphocytes of these patients were characterized by prevalence of extralysosomal localization of the enzyme and a decrease in the numbers of those cells having intact enzyme-positive lysosomes. No association between these alterations and therapy with insulin or oral hypoglycemic drug and overweight could be stated.