Abstract
Summary
Rabbit embryo (pronuclear to blastocyst stage) dehydrogenase activities (as measured by the reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium) were measured histochemically in the presence of the following substrates: glucose 1-phosphate, glucose 6-phosphate, glycerophosphate, lactate, glutamate, succinate, isocitrate and malate. The various dehydrogenases were found at all stage of development, not, however, in equivalent amounts. The succinic and glutamic dehydrogenase activities in the one-cell and 8 to 16-cell stage eggs were qualitatively higher than the other enzymes at these stages, and furthermore quantitively constant. At the morula stage, all of the enzymes analyzed had increased slightly, and after blastocyst formation, they had increased dramatically. In unfertilized ova, the activity of the dehydrogenases decreased with the progression of time. After 48 hours, all activity had disappeared completely.
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