Ratio of serum tartrate-inhibitable acid phosphatase to total serum protein in benign prostatic hypertrophy and prostatic carcinoma.

The activity concentration and the specific activity (the ratio of enzyme activity to total serum protein) of the tartrate-inhibitable fraction of acid phosphatase [orthophosphoric monoester phosphohydrolase (acid optimum), EC 3.1.3.2; TIAP] were related to benign prostatic hypertrophy and to prostatic carcinoma. As expected, the TIAP activity concentrations assayed in the sera of patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy were within the range of those assayed in normal human sera. In contrast, the specific activities of TIAP determined in the sera of patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy were significantly higher than those determined in the control group. In the sera of prostatic carcinoma patients, both the TIAP activity concentrations and the TIAP specific activities differed significantly (F = 730) from the normal values.