[Enzyme-histochemical studies of the pig placenta. II. Histotopics of enzymes in the areolar placenta epithelium].

In porcine areolar placental epithelia, the following enzymes were demonstrated by histochemical methods after 30, 58, 80, 100, and 110 d of pregnancy, respectively: beta-N-acetyl-hexosaminidase, beta-galactosidase, beta-glucuronidase, alpha-mannosidase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, nonspecific esterases, cytochrome oxidase, 5-nucleotidase, leucine aminopeptidase, adenosine triphosphatase, diaphorases (NADH, NADPH), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase (NAD, NADP), beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, glycero-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, NAD-glycero-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase (NAD, NADP), lactate dehydrogenase. The results show that the enzyme activities remained almost unchanged during the period of investigation. Of the dehydrogenases, the diaphorases as well as succinate and lactate dehydrogenase demonstrated generally an intensive activity within the epithelia. The activity of the other dehydrogenases was only low. The activity of unspecific esterase was very intensive within the uterine epithelia but remarkably low within chorionic epithelia. Contrarily, the reaction of adenosine triphosphatase was more intensive within chorionic than uterine epithelia. All investigated glucosidases reacted distinctly positive within chorionic epithelia, but only beta-N-acetyl-hexosaminidase and beta-galactosidase in uterine epithelia. The high activity of acid phosphatase, especially within the chorionic epithelium, seems to be connected with uteroferrin, an iron-binding protein. The histochemical results are discussed in context with the function of the areolae in histiotrophic nutrition and iron transport.