Partial characterization of synovial fluid nucleotide pyrophosphohydrolase.

Synovial fluid adenosine triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase, an enzyme which manifests increased activity in chondrocalcinosis and osteoarthritis, was partially characterized in synovial fluids from 41 patients who had a variety of arthropathies. Activity was found to be a soluble, heat labile, and divalent cation-dependent nonspecific nucleotide pyrophosphohydrolase with pH optimum 9.0-9.5.