Distribution of alkaline phosphatase activity in healthy and diseased human liver tissue

Histochemical demonstration of the alkaline phosphatase activity with an azo-dye method in human livers showed that the activity, which is normally localized to endothelial cells of portal and central veins as well as of sinusoids around the central veins and to a lesser extent of sinusoids around the portal connective tissue, is increased in various liver diseases. Appreciable canalicular activity is rare, and when it occurs it is more prominent in parenchyma involved by malignant tumours.