title: Indoxyl alfa-D-galactoside as the temporarily last substrate for glycosidase histochemistry. The present state of the art in histochemical glycosidase research using indoxyl glycosidas.
abstract: Initiated by the recently published histochemical method for the investigation of alfa-D-galactosidas with an indoxyl substrate, the current state of this group of synthetic compounds in light and electron microscopic histochemical glycosidase research is evaluated whereby historical, functional, methodological and applied aspects are considered. Beginning with the introduction of indoxyl acetate for non-specific esterase in 1951 and 1952 numerous other indoxyl substrates and mostly substituted in the 5- and 4-position of the indol ring by Br and Cl were developed to study histochemically non-specific phosphatases and glycosidases and frequently used in indigogenic, azoidoxyl, tetrazolium salts and metal salt techniques for catalytic (activity) histochemical and less often for immunohistochemical, affinity histochemical and hybridohistochemical purposes. The last substrate which became available and was validated for activity histochemistry was 5-Br-4-Cl-3-indoxyl alfa-1-galactoside for alfa-1-galactosidase. At present, the indoxyl glycosides are more widely used than 5-Br-4-Cl-3-indoxyl acetates and phosphates when compared with the alternative synthetic (artificial) naphthol, 6-Br-2-naphthol or ternative synthetic (artificial) naphthol, 6-Br-2-naphthol AS substrates, and among the indoxyl glycosides those for the oxoglycosidases lactase, maltase-glucoamylase, glucoamylase, acid beta-D-galactosidase, neuroaminidase and alfa-D-galactosidase are superior to other artificial compounds. When one considers in addition, electron microscopic catalytic glicosidase histochemistry (ultracytochemistry, 5-Br-4-Cl-3-indoxyl is the only suitable moiety for this purpose. These glycosidase can mostly be localized in plasma membranes or lysosomes and also measured there in tissue sections but are also found in secretion granules, endoplasmic reticulum and organ lumina.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Free University of Berlin.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gossrau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006027:Glycosides / Q000378:metabolism*; D006651:Histocytochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006027:Glycosides; D007211:Indoles; C034082:indoxyl; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases