Cytochemical and histoenzymological studies on the adrenal of the teleost, Puntius sophore (Ham.).

In Puntius sophore the adrenal tissue is situated in the pronephric head kidney. The medullary cells are arranged closely around the wall of the cardinal veins and their branches. The cortical cells are located around the medullary cells in several layers forming a large mass of tissue. With the aid of chromaffin reaction techniques the medullary cells were differentiated. Noradrenaline cells were identified with iodate reaction technique. Cortical cells gave positive reaction to cholesterol, lipid, phospholipid and ascorbic acid tests. The steroidogenic property of these cells is suggested by the presence of delta 5 3 beta HSDH, G-6-PD and 11 beta HSDH enzymes. The intense MAO activity which is reported largely in the cortical tissue of Puntius sophore is not well known in the fishes.