[Correlation of morphometric parameters with enzyme-activities in cases of liver diseases with fibrosis (author's transl)].

50 liver specimens with fibrotic liver disease were taken from current autopsy material and, after preparation, subjected to automatized image analysis by QUANTIMET 720 for quantitation of the connective tissues and their cellularity. In cell-free supernatants of liver tissue homogenates we determined the activities of N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (beta-NAG, E.C. 3.2.1.30), a lysosomal glycosidase that is involved in proteoglycane metabolism of connective tissue. Beta-NAG-isoenzymes were demonstrated by electrofocusing in thin layers of polyamide gel. The results showed statistically significant correlations between beta-NAG activity and morphometrically assessed quantities of connective tissue, and of mesenchymal cells found in the latter or in the whole specimen, respectively. Demonstration of tissue or serum levels of beta-NAG or its isoenzymes provides a readily practicable method for assessing mesenchymal activities of the liver.