A technique for quantitating enzyme histochemistry in adjuvant arthritic joints. I. Alkaline phosphatase.

This paper establishes a quantitative technique for measuring the percentage of enzyme-reactive cells found in adjuvant arthritic articular cartilage, synovial membrane and bone marrow. Using alkaline phosphatase histochemistry and a recently-developed method of handling hard tissues, the technique is validated, the inherent variabilities determined and the existence of intra-articular lesions established. The technique now allows for a precise in situ evaluation of adjuvant arthritic drug inhibition by measuring enzyme-reactive cell alterations within the joint tissue most affected by the arthritis.