An improved method for the inhibition of endogenous peroxidase non-deleterious to lymphocyte surface markers. Application to immunoperoxidase studies on eosinophil-rich tissue preparations.

The inhibitory effect of phenylhydrazine and azide combined with either pre-formed or nascent hydrogen peroxide H2O2 upon endogenous peroxidatic activity, expressed by tissue eosinophils in different disease states, was investigated. It was found that whilst endogenous peroxidatic activity due to eosinophils in a Hodgkin's disease and a histiocytosis X case were adequately inhibited by phenylhydrazine combines with pre-formed or nascent H2O2, the eosinophils in the Onchocerca volvulus nodule were either not at all or only partly inhibited by the two regimens. On the other hand, a combination of azide with nascent H2O2 proved consistently effective against this resistant form of endogenous peroxidatic activity. Using human tonsil sections this protocol was shown to be non-deleterious to T4('CD4'), T6('CD1') and T8('CD8') lymphocyte surface antigens as evidenced by the application of a standard indirect immunoperoxidase technique and the relevant monoclonal antibodies.