Alkaline phosphatase and acid lysosomal hydrolases in pancreatic juice and fibroblast cell cultures of patients with chronic calcifying pancreatitis

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Abstract
Nine lysosomal enzymes and alkaline phosphatase were assayed in human pancreatic juice from controls and patients with chronic calcifying pancreatitis. Specific activities were evaluated by a nonparametric test (Wilcoxon) with a probability of 2P .ltoreq. 0.5. The values of acid phosphatase, .alpha.-glucosidase, .beta.-glucosidase and .alpha.-galactosidase are significantly higher in pathological juices; the values of .alpha.-mannosidase and .beta.-glucuronidase are also increased in the same patients but at the limit of significance. Alkaline phosphatase, .beta.-hexosaminidase and .alpha.-fucosidase follow the same trend but the values are not statistically significant between the 2 groups of patients. Studies on skin cultures of 4 patients with chronic calcifying pancreatitis demonstrate that the increased specific activities of lysosomal enzymes in the pathological juices do not correspond to a leakage of these enzymes into the extracellular space as described for cystic fibrosis.