Erythrocyte Acid Phosphatase in Health and Disease

Abstract

The activity of acid phosphomonoesterase in erythrocytes of normal persons and persons with disease was studied. Technical considerations pertaining to buffers, pH, concentration of hemolysate, inhibitors, and experimental conditions are discussed. The macrocytes of megaloblastic anemias in relapse contain conspicuously increased amounts of this enzymatic activity on a per cell basis. This is presumably, at least in part, a result of the greater individual cell volumes in these conditions, but it can not be stated with certainty that this is the sole explanation. In conditions characterized by a young mean age of erythrocytes, such as sickle cell disease, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, and other hemolytic anemias, elevated values for enzymatic activity were also observed. Although there was considerable individual variation in activity of enzyme, no distinctive patterns could be documented in a wide variety of other hematologic and nonhematologic disorders that were studied.