Histoenzymology of the lung. I. Enzyme activities of the lung tissue of acult humans; relationships between structure and functions.

Human adult lung fragments removed from macroscopically undamaged and anthracosis exempted zones of lungs of 20 pneumonectomies made for cancer, were tested for 25 enzymic activities. The location and intensities of these enzymic activities were different in the lung tissue components; The bronchial epithelia contained highly active LDH, MDH, SDH, NADH-TR and NADPH-TR, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, active hydroxyproline-2-epimerase, alkaline phosphatase. Ca2+-activated ATP-ase, and beta-galactosidase. Bronchial and vascular muscles presented intense activities of LDH, MDH and SDH of alkalinephosphatase, AMP-ase and Ca2+-activated ATP-ase, as well as of beta-galactosidase. The alveolar walls presented high activities of SDH, MDH and LDH, of alkaline and acid phosphatases, of beta-galactosidase and of Tween-40 and 60-esterases, of HEP, cytochrome-oxidase and peroxidase. The free alveolar macrophages were active for LDH, MDH, SDH, NADH-TR and NADPH-TR, G1-6-ph-DH, acid and alkaline phosphatase, cytochrome-oxidase and peroxidase, HEP, AMP-ase and Mg2+-activated ATP-ase, Tween-esterases, naphthol-ASD-acetate esterase, and beta-galactosidase. The endothelia contained high activities of alkaline phosphatase, of AMP-ase and Mg2+-activated ATPase, of LDH, MDH and SDH, and of beta-galactosidase. In bronchial lymphoid nodules it was the LDH, MDH, SDH, cytochrome-oxidase and peroxidase, HEP, alkaline phosphatase and AMP-ase, Tween-60-esterase and beta-galactosidase that were active. The interlobular areas of the lung presented intense activities of SDH, MDH, LDH, HEP and cytochrome-oxidase. The activities of the other tested enzymes were weaker or absent in the adult human lung components, the same as those of aminopeptidases which were present only in some free alveolar macrophages. The discussion of some relationships between these enzymic actitivies and the morphology of the human adult lung tissue asserted that the latter could not be considered as a "normal" tissue but as one overstrained by the components of blood and polluted air.