Quantitative microphotometric succinate dehydrogenase histochemistry in human nephron.

A simple method for microphotometric evaluation of cryostat sections from human renal tissue routinely stained for succinate dehydrogenase activity by means of tetranitro-blue tetrazolium chloride is described and tested for validity. Manual absorbance measurement within single nephron segments from the same section allows to directly visualize the distribution pattern of this enzyme along the nephron. Photometric data can be expressed in relative enzyme activities by using the cortical collecting ducts within the same section as reference. This allows to compare measurements of different kidney sections stained by various incubation procedures. The agreement found between relative succinate dehydrogenase activities and recently published morphometric data on mitochondrial inner membranes along the rat nephron suggests that quantitative succinate dehydrogenase microphotometry is a useful histochemical tool for the assessment of renal mitochondrial cristae membranes.