Abstract
Acid and alkaline phosphatase activity has been examined in chorionic and placental tissues of 123 women in the 4–5th to the 40th week of pregnancy, by the method of Gomori. Both enzymes could be detected over the whole duration of pregnancy. Most of the villi of preparations from early pregnancy showed trace or low acid phosphatase activity, and the proportion of such villi increased as pregnancy progressed. At the same time, there was a gradual rise in the acid and alkaline phosphatase activity of the structures, to a maximum at term. Alkaline phosphatase was present in the nuclei, but more abundantly in the cytoplasm of the syncytium; it was absent from the Langhans cells. Acid phosphatase was concentrated mainly in the nuclei, and was more widely distributed among the placental tissues than was alkaline phosphatase. The trophoblast showed the highest acid and alkaline phosphatase activities. The results reported are not in agreement with those of Thomsen.
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