[Leukocyte lysozymes in various forms of leukemia]

The amount of lysozyme in the leukocytes of 47 patients with different forms of leukaemia and 6 healthy persons was investigated. The lysozyme determination was carried out in the lysate of isolated leukocytes obtained after freezing and thawing it seven times. The results expressed in microgram per 10(6) cells were compared with the simultaneously determined lysozyme concentration of serum and urine. A substantial reduction of the lysozyme amount as compared with the normal value (3.1 microgram/10(6) cells) was determined in the leukocytes of patients suffering from chronic lymphatic leukaemia, acute lymphatic leukaemia and the blastic crisis of chronic myeloid leukaemia. Different amounts of lysozyme ranging from extremely low ones to strongly elevated ones were found in leukocytes taken from patients with acute myeloblastic and chronic monocytic leukaemia. In many cases there was a lack of correlation between the lysozyme content of leukocytes on the one hand and that of serum and urine on the other hand. Possible causes underlying this lack of correlation are discussed.