Alkaline Phosphatase and Disaccharide Activity in Barrett's Columnar Lined Esophagus

Esophageal mucosal biopsies of 15 patients with normal squamous epithelium, 11 with inflamed squamous epithelium and 23 with Barrete's columnar lined esophagus were assayed for alkaline phosphatase and disaccharidase activity. Seven of the patients with Barrett's esophagus had alkaline phosphatase activity greater than three standard deviations above the mean of the 15 patients with normal squamous epithelium. Five of these seven also had disaccharidase activity three standard deviations or greater above normal. One patient with esophagitis, but without columnar epithelium, had a small increase in alkaline phosphatase and disaccharidase activity. The production of biochemical markers of small intestinal structure may he another indicator of the pluripotential nature of Barrett's epithelium.