[Acid phosphatase in blood (substrate: alpha-naphthylphosphate): reference values and diagnostic significance]

We report the results obtained with a modification of Hillmann's method (1) for determination of the catalytic concentration of acid phosphatase in serum using alpha-naphthylphosphate as the substrate. In a group of 158 males aged 16-85 years, the upper limit of the reference range (95th percentile) for the total acid phosphatase was established as 4.7 U/l (37 degrees C) and 4.2 U/l (30 degrees C), respectively; the corresponding values for the tartrate-inhibited acid phosphatase were 1.6 U/l (37 degrees C) and 1.5 U/l (30 degrees C). The upper limit of the reference range (95th percentile) for the total acid phosphatase determined in 60 females aged 18-80 years was 3.7 U/l (37 degrees C) and 3.0 U/l (30 degrees C). The catalytic concentrations in men and women did not show any age-related differences. The catalytic concentration of the tartrate-inhibited acid phosphatase was determined with the substrates alpha-naphthylphosphate and p-nitrophenylphosphate in a group of 89 patients with prostatic carcinoma (stages C and D). In 74 of these patients, the concentration of the prostatic specific acid phosphatase was assayed by enzyme-immunoassay and radioimmunoassay. The sensitivity of the method with p-nitrophenylphosphate was found to be unsatisfactory (66%), while that obtained with the other methods was superior and intercomparable (approx. 90%). The results obtained with the two substrates (p-nitrophenylphosphate vs. alpha-naphthylphosphate) differed significantly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)