CARDIOVASCULAR ENGINEERING Journal for Extracorporeal Circulation, Assist Devices,Transplantation and Artificial Organs
	Volume 1, 1996, No 1

Cytophotometrical Measurements of Enzyme Activities in the Rabbit Heart

P. G. Martin K. Punkt, F. Braun

Abstract:
Using cytophotometry the topographical distribution of the activities of two metabolic enzymes, succinate dehydrogenase as a marker of oxidative capacity and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase as a glycolytic enzyme,was measured in the rabbit myocardium. The hearts of 6 rabbits were sectioned into three slices from the apex, middle part and base. The cross sections through the whole heart from each region, containing the myocardium of the left ventricle, septum and right ventricle were subjected to the cytophotometrical analysis. The enzyme activities were 11-14% higher in the myocardium of septum than in that of ventricles. The distribution of enzyme activities showed no significant gradients within the myocardium of one ventricle or septum. However, an increase of enzyme activities by about 30% in the border zones of myocardium was found. The cytophotometrical quantification of the two metabolic enzymes revealed that the activity of oxidative and glycolytic metabolism did not change from the apex to the base of heart.

Keywords:
rabbit heart, cytophotometry, succinate dehydrogenase, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, topographical enzyme activity distribution

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