Enzymic diagnosis in 27 cases with Gaucher's disease.

A method is described for the assay of glucosyl ceramide beta-glucosidase (glucocerebrosidase) in white blood cells, cultured fibroblasts and amniotic cells, and in tissue homogenates. Glucosyl ceramide extracted from Gaucher spleen and labelled by catalytically adding tritium to the ceramide double bonds was used as the substrate in the presence of pure sodium cholate as detergent. The specificity of the test was established by demonstrating the enzyme deficiency in 25 cases with Gaucher's disease type 1 and 2. In two prenatal cases quantitative liver lipid analysis showed that glucosyl ceramide storage starts in Gaucher fetuses when they are about 20 weeks old.