Abstract
The application of cytochemistry in clinical as well as basic medicine has been described with particular reference to pigmentary disorders which can be divided into three groups namely hyperfunction, hypofunction and neoplasm. For the hyperfunction of melanocytes which results in two types of hyperpigmentation, dermal and epidermal melanosome accumulation, the importance of cytochemical investigation of tyrosinase, and acid phosphatase at the cellular and subcellular level together with parallel biochemical enzyme assay has been presented. For the group of pigmentary disorders due to hypofunction of melanocytes the integral role of cytochemical findings such as dopa reaction, combined dopa-premelanin reactions, osmium iodide reaction and ATPase reaction has been described in relation to the differential diagnosis, prognosis and determination of therapeutic effects. For the third group of neoplastic pigmentary disorders, the clinical importance of dopa reaction and tyrosine reaction is mentioned in determining benign or malignant neo-plastic pigment cells. Furthermore the contribution of other enzyme cytochemistry such as butyryl and acetyl cholinesterase, development of combined dopa-acid phosphatase reaction, and thiamin pyrophosphatase reaction in the field of pigmentology from basic and clinical aspects has been presented with our recent findings at the cellular and subcellular level.
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