Glucose-6-Phosphate and 6-Phosphogluconic Dehydrogenase in Bovine Dental Pulp

¹ Department of Stomatology, College of Dentistry, State University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

This investigation established the existence of the pentose cycle in bovine dental pulp. Various properties of the enzymes were evaluatd and found to be essentially similar to those reported by other investigators for other tissues and species. The mean values of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconic dehydrogenase in whole pulps, irrespective of developmental stages, were 60 and 239 units, respectively, per gram of dry tissue. The activity of both enzymes was highest in the "young" developmental stage, when dentinogenesis was most obvious. The peripheral zone of the pulp showed dehydrogenase activity that was consistently higher than that of the central zone. Comparison of the activity of these enzymes from dental pulp with those reported by other investigators for other tissues suggest a higher level of synthetic metabolism in pulp than has been generally appreciated.