Relationship between Age and Enzymatic Activities in Human Erythrocytes from Normal and Fava Bean-sensitive Subjects*

Abstract

The relationship between age and metabolic activities does not differ in normal subjects from previous data, except for glutathione reductase and the content and the stability of reduced glutathione, which does not vary with age. The same findings are reported from erythrocytes of favic subjects out of an hemolytic episode. The glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase which has a very low activity in these subjects does not increase significantly in younger cells, striking contrast with what has been detected in Negro subjects with the same trait. In the post hemolytic period, the content and stability of reduced glutathione reach control level during the first days after the crisis and then return to abnormal levels. This finding is not consistent with the opinion that the particular behavior of glutathione in favic red cells can be referred to the parallel lack of glucose-6-phosphate dehydro-genase activity. In fact, the restoration of the pathological behavior concerning glutathione is not accompanied by a correspondent increase in glucose-6-phosphate activity. The outlined dissociation between the two phenomenona is evidence of other metabolic defects in these favic cells. The different behavior of the trait in Caucasian and Negro subjects with the same glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase is better defined from a biochemical point of view.