Alkaline phosphatase activity of normal and cystic fibrosis fibroblasts.

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities were compared in fibroblasts from three cystic fibrosis patients and two normal controls after culturing the cells in normal growth medium and in medium containing Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein, isoproterenol, and theophylline. No consistent alterations in ALP activities were noted, either between the same cell lines grown under different conditions, or between normal and cystic cell lines. It is concluded that it is not possible to use changes in ALP activity in cultured cells for the prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis.