Enzyme Histochemical Studies on Rat Skin Autografts

Abstract

The activities of lactic dehydrogenase, succinic dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase in rat skin autografts were studied histochemically during the first 14 days of the healing process and compared with the activities in normal skin and in skin from dead rats. A reduction of enzyme activity was demonstrated during the first 5 days. The activity then increases reaching that of normal skin by the eighth day. The changes of enzyme activity involves simultaneously all cells in the grafts, and a return of activity progressing from the recipient bed is not observed. During the first 3 days the enzyme activity in the skin of dead rats was more intense than that of the healing grafts. This suggests the presence of a factor that suppresses enzyme activity during wound healing, and confirms the notion that the demonstration of enzyme activity by histochemical methods is of no value as an indicator of viability of skin grafts.