Microphotometric quantitation of enzyme activities in giant cell tumor of bone. A case study.

In a proliferating giant cell tumor of bone the activities of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (acPase) and of NADH-tetrazolium reductase were demonstrated by enzyme histochemical methods. Quantitative microphotometry made it possible to determine the relative enzyme activities per given volume unit in the cytoplasm of giant cells of several sizes. The activity of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase increases with increasing cell size, whereas the activity of tetrazolium reductase will decrease in proportion. This coincidence of high acPase activity and low tetrazolium reductase activity in larger giant cells is interpreted as an expression of degenerative change.