Histochemical observations on the apocrine glands of the scrotal skin of the cat and dog.

Enzyme and carbohydrate histochemical methods were used to study the secretory activity of the apocrine glands of the scrotal skin of the cat and dog. The typical activity spectra of the different oxidative and hydrolytic enzymes investigated indicated high metabolic rates within the secretory cells. The carbohydrate histochemical differentiation revealed mostly neutral and partly acidic glycoproteins, with only small amounts of sialic acid, in the secretory cells and the luminal secretion of the glands. The PO-lectin-DAB procedures applied demonstrated that the following saccharide residues were dominant within the neutral glycoproteins present: alpha-D-glucose, alpha-D-mannose, beta-D-galactose, N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine.