Cytochemical demonstration of phosphatases in the rat liver by a cerium-based method in combination with osmium tetroxide and potassium ferrocyanide postfixation.

Acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, glucose-6-phosphatase, Mg-activated adenosine triphosphatase and 5'nucleotidase were demonstrated in the rat liver using a cerium-based method. This method can be applied routinely and yields better results than the lead-based method. The tissue was postfixed in osmium tetroxide and potassium ferrocyanide which considerably enhances the membrane contrast in comparison with solely osmium tetroxide postfixation. This facilitates the precise localization of the reaction product.