Enzyme histochemical characteristics of human and kitten odontoclasts and kitten osteoclasts: a comparative study using whole cells.

Methods for the histochemical demonstration of enzymes in whole cell preparations of odontoclasts and osteoclasts are described. Enzyme histochemical characteristics of human and kitten odontoclasts from resorbing primary teeth and of osteoclasts from kitten femur metaphyses were determined and compared. The enzyme profiles, times for the appearance of detectable reaction product, intensity of the reactions and localization of the reaction products were similar in all three types of giant cell. These findings suggest that odontoclasts have enzyme properties and metabolic functions similar to those of osteoclasts. Species differences appear to be minor, although the NADP-dependent enzymes are less active in human than in kitten odontoclasts. Both odontoclasts and osteoclasts are rich in enzymes concerned with energy production and possess considerable activity of enzymes usually associated with catabolic functions. Metabolic pathways are well developed in respect of the utilization of succinic, malic, glutamic, lactic and isocitric acids, beta-hydroxybutyric acid and glucose-6-phosphate, and they also possess phosphatases, non-specific esterases and leucine naphthylamidase. The distribution of enzyme reaction products for the individual enzymes demonstrated is consistent with the presence in these cells of large numbers of mitochondria and lysosome-like organelles. Considerable phosphatase activity is demonstrable in both odontoclasts and osteoclasts at both neutral and acid pH.