Localization of acid and alkaline phosphatase activities in the blood vessels of normotensive and hypertensive rats

Enzymatic and Isoenzymatic Study of Varicose Veins

The activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatinine kinase (CK) and alkaline phosphatase (AP) enzymes were assessed in the venous wall according to the methods of Bergmeyer, Szasz and Bessey, respectively, in 50 varicose veins (44.7 ± 14.06 years mean age), and 51 control veins (65.7 ± 13.4 years mean age). We also assessed the activity of venous LDH and CK isoenzyme in both groups.

The most important finding was a significant decrease in LDH and CK in varicose veins, which may be of great importance in the study of varicose pathology.

Ultrastructural and histochemical characterization of special muscle cells in the monkey small intestine

The ultrastructure, three-dimensional arrangement, and histochemical features of special muscle cells in the monkey small intestine were investigated. The cells formed a special layer separated from the main part by a connective tissue space along the submucosal surface of the circular muscle coat. Scanning electron microscopy using alkali maceration demonstrated this inner sublayer to be a continuous thin sheet consisting of irregularly-shaped muscle cells equipped with many cytoplasmic projections and caveolae. Other ultrastructural features included direct contact with interstitial cells, due to their close association with nerve fibers of the deep muscular plexus. Histochemical examination revealed significant alkaline phosphatase activity and immunoreactivity for vascular smooth muscle alpha actin in these muscle cells, whereas the ordinary circular muscle cells were immunopositive for enteric smooth muscle gamma actin. These findings suggest that the special muscle cells play an important role in regulating the radial stretch of the monkey small intestinal wall.

Acid and alkaline phosphatases activities in vascular smooth muscle: species differences and subcellular distribution

1. Acid and alkaline phosphatase activities were studied in rat and dog aortic muscle using p-nitrophenyl phosphate (p-NPP) as the substrate. Alkaline phosphatase activity was quite comparable to acid phosphatase activity in rat aortic microsomes as well as further purified plasma membranes, but considerably lower than acid phosphatase activity in dog aortic membranes. 2. Subcellular distribution of acid and alkaline phosphatase activities in these vascular muscles indicated that alkaline phosphatases and a large portion of acid phosphatase activities were primarily associated with plasma membranes and the distribution of acid phosphatase showed little resemblance to that of N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase, a lysosomal marker enzyme. 3. The rat aortic plasmalemmal acid and alkaline phosphatase activities responded very differently to magnesium, fluoride, vanadate and EDTA. The alkaline phosphatase was more susceptible to heat inactivation than acid phosphatase. 4. These results suggest that these two phosphatases are likely to be two different enzymes in the smooth muscle plasma membranes. The implication of the present findings is discussed in relation to the alteration of these phosphatases in hypertensive vascular diseases.

Comparative studies of acid and alkaline phosphatase activities in nonvascular smooth muscle membranes

Acid and alkaline phosphosphatase activities of subcellular fractions isolated from rat gastric muscle and vas deferens by differential centrifugation, sucrose density gradient and cation-induced aggregation methods were studied using p-nitrophenyl phosphate as the substrate. Alkaline phosphatase and a large portion of acid phosphatase activities were found to be of plasmalemmal origin. Acid and alkaline phosphatase activities were different in the effect of Mg2+, fluoride, vanadate, EDTA and resistance to heat inactivation suggesting that these two phosphatase activities were not expressed by the same enzyme.

Monoamine oxidase activities in dissociated cell fractions from rat skeletal muscle

Collagenase was used to dissociate rat skeletal muscle (gastrocnemius) into its constituent cells, from which a myocyte fraction enriched in striated muscle cells, and a non-myocyte fraction containing cells of connective tissue and vascular origin, were prepared. The activities of amine oxidase enzymes and alkaline phosphatase (AP) were then assayed in these fractions, and also in homogenates prepared from corresponding samples of non-dissociated tissue. The specific activities of the semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) and AP were considerably higher (30 to 35-fold) in non-myocyte than in myocyte fractions. AP is generally considered to be present predominantly in vascular cells of skeletal muscle, with little, if any, in skeletal muscle cells themselves. Thus, the results obtained may indicate a similar localization for SSAO activity. Support for this came from histochemical studies, which showed staining for SSAO primarily over the walls of larger blood vessels in the muscle. Unlike SSAO and AP, were marked differences in MAO-A activity between myocyte and non-myocyte fractions were not found, suggesting that MAO-A is more probably a constituent of cells within both fractions.

Monoamine oxidase activities of dissociated cell fractions from rat ventricular muscle

Cell fractions enriched in cardiac muscle cells (myocytes), on the one hand, and in non-myocytes, on the other, were prepared by dissociation of rat ventricular tissue with collagenase. Amine oxidase activities in homogenates of these cell fractions and also in homogenates of the corresponding undissociated ventricular tissue were compared. In addition, the activity of alkaline phosphatase (AP), an enzyme found predominantly associated in the heart with non-myocytes, particularly capillary endothelial cells, was also measured. No significant difference in the activity of MAO-A (assayed with 1 mM 5-hydroxytryptamine) was found between myocyte and non-myocyte fractions. In contrast, the activities of alkaline phosphatase (AP) and also the semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO), assayed with 1 microM benzylamine (BZ), were both significantly higher in non-myocytes, by several-fold, than in myocyte fractions. Studies of the inhibition by clorgyline of 1 mM BZ metabolism confirmed that both MAO-A and MAO-B can also contribute to BZ oxidation in the rat heart. These experiments indicated different ratios of MAO-A: MAO-B in the various cell fractions. The ratios of the percentage contributions of MAO-A and MAO-B, respectively, to the total metabolism of 1 mM BZ were 78:20 (myocytes), 43:52 (non-myocytes) and 57:32 (undissociated tissue). These results suggest that MAO-B, in addition to AP and SSAO, may be associated preferentially with non-myocyte constituents of the rat heart. Although cardiac myocytes appear to contain predominantly MAO-A, this enzyme form is also localized, with high activity, to the non-myocyte fraction. However, since the non-myocyte fraction is heterogeneous in its cell content, containing vascular components of the coronary microcirculation, as well as other cells of connective tissue origin, the exact cellular localization of the enzyme activities within this fraction has not yet been defined.