Glycosidases heterogeneity among dimethylhydrazine induced rat colonic tumours.

Activities of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase, N-acetyl-β-D-galactosaminidase, β-D-galactosidase and α-L-fucosidase were measured in rat colonic tumours induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine. Tumours varied considerably in their enzyme content, not only from different animals but also from the same animals. Enzymatic heterogeneity among tumours appeared to be related to their site of origin in the colon. The descending colon, which after the DMH treatment showed a significant increase in the levels of glycosidases, also gave rise to a larger number of adenocarcinomata than other parts of the colon. The relative changes in the activities of four glycosidases seemed to show a good correlation.