Analysis of tissue esterases from patients with Hodgkin's disease and other types of advanced cancer by isoelectric focusing in acrylamide gel.

the colon, adenocarcinoma of the breast) and on nonneoplastic tissues from cancer patients (liver, kidney, spleen, brain, and red blood cells). Eighteen distinct nonspecific esterase bands have been identified and characterized with respect to substrate preference and inhibitor profile. Each of the normal tissues contains a readily recognizable esterase pattern; the tumor extracts present greater het erogeneity. The patterns permit grouping into acetylesterases and butyrylesterases, i.e., carboxylesterases. The former are relatively cationic and resistant to the inhibitory effect of diethyl />-nitrophenyl phosphate and 10 M urea. The butyrylesterases tend to be rather anionic in charge; they are with but a single exception sensitive to inhibition with diethyl p-nitrophenyl phosphate. The cationic acetylesterases have substrate specificity and inhibitor profiles similar to those described for lysosomal nonspecific esterase. These acetylesterases are particularly prominent in homogenates of kidney, spleen, and Hodgkin's disease.