A polyacrylamide gel method for the cytochemical demonstration of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in mouse sperm.

Solubility and low activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase let both the aqueous and agarose gel cytochemical incubation techniques fail in mouse sperm. By means of a polyacrylamide gel medium G6PDH was constantly demonstrated in the midpieces of sperm cells prefixed with cold acetone. Although this technique prevented the dislocation of the enzyme, diffusion artifacts due to delayed formation of formazan may occur from sites of high dehydrogenase activity, e.g., epididymal epithelium encountered in sperm smears.