The deficiency of B-glycosidases in leukocytes from patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

The activity and intracellular localization of two B-glycosidases i.e., N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and beta-glucuronidase (GR) was estimated by means of semi-quantitative histochemical methods in the peripheral blood neutrophils and lymphocytes from 52 patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and compared with that in 67 healthy subjects of similar age and sex. The total neutrophil and lymphocyte count did not differ in the patients from that in the controls. The GR and the NAG activity indexes were significantly lower in the neutrophils from patients as compared with that in the control group. The number of lymphocytes with GR-positive and NAG-positive intact lysosomes were 200-fold and respectively 40-fold lower in the patients than in the healthy subjects. The authors discuss the significance of their observations with regard to the relationship between the enzymatic activity of the cells studied and their functional capabilities.