Previous reports have outlined some of the biochemical alterations which are associated with enchondral bone formation in the experimental animal.1 It has further been demonstrated that these biochemical systems are modified when skeletal pathology is induced through the administration of aminoacetonitrile (AAN).2,3 These observations are particularly pertinent since the morphological characteristics of these lathyritic lesions appear closely related to lesions described in slipped epiphysis, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, and juvenile kyphosis.4,5
It now becomes important to know if the biochemical alterations present in diseased human epiphyseal plates are related to those which can be induced in experimental animals. To obtain this information, suitable methods for detailed biochemical study of biopsy material must be developed. This work demonstrates how microchemical techniques can be applied to the study of biopsy material to obtain quantitative biochemical data. Preliminary information about the distribution and level of 4 enzymes in morphologically distinct areas of