THE LACTIC DEHYDROGENASE ACTIVITY AND PYRIDINE NUCLEOTIDE CONTENT OF HUMAN BLOOD CELLS IN ANEMIA

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Two normal subjects and 12 patients with various degrees of anemia were studied to determine whether the previously reported elevated pyridine nucleotide content of the blood cells (PN/BC) in anemia is related to an altered metabolic activity of the cells. In 12 well nourished subjects it was found that the PN/BC, expressed in ug. diphosphopyridine nucleotide (DPN) per g. of hemoglobin, was elevated in proportion to the severity of the anemia and that this increase was accompanied by a proportional rise in the cellular lactic dehydrogenase activity. The low PN/BC of 2 poorly nourished patients was accompanied by correspondingly low lactic dehydrogenase levels. The correlation coeff. for the relationship between the lactic dehydrogenase and PN/BC values for all the subjects was + 0.89 and was considered significant since P< 0.01. The results suggest that the potential activity of an important enzymatic step in erythrocyte glycolysis is increased in anemia in proportion to the decrease in the hemoglobin concn. and the fall in the hematocrit. The increased PN/BC under these conditions is probably a reflection of an elevated cellular DPN concn.