Abstract
Alkaline phophatase, adenosine triphosphatase and acid phosphatase activity was demonstrated in the tongues of the rat and rabbit, especially in relationship to taste buds.
1. Alkaline phosphatase was localized on the superficial layers of the epithelium of the taste buds in the circumvallate and foliate papillae, as reported, but no activity was found on the superior surface of the epithelium of the fungiform papilla. The capillary walls of rat, and the ganglion cells and nerve fibers of rabbit were reactive for the enzyme. The acinar cells of the salivary gland in the rat demonstrated a positive activity on their basal portion but this was not so in the rabbit.
2. ATPase was found to be specific in taste bud cells on the epithelium covering the papillae. Its activity seemed to be almost entirely associated with the membrane. In the lamina propria, a strong activity was evidenced in ganglion cells, nerve fibers and the walls of blood vessels. The activity of salivary gland was found at the basal portion of acinar cells in rats, while on the membrane lining the glandular cavity in rabbits.
3. Acid phosphatase activity was intense in the taste bud cells, especially in the supranuclear region. In the lamina propria, fibroblasts and ganglion cells were responsible for the enzyme. Nerve fibers were essentially unreactive. Salivary glands and their excretory ducts demonstrated activity in the cytoplasm of their respective cells.
The possible functions, regarding these enzymes, have been discussed.
