Enzyme Studies in Muscular Dystrophy. I. Muscle Proteolytic Activity and Vitamin E-Deficiency.

Abstract

The proteolytic activity of homogenates and extracts of muscles of rabbits with muscular dystrophy in-duced by vitamin E-deficiency was assayed at pH 4.0 with denatured hemoglobin as substrate, and in the presence and absence of Fe++ activator. Vitamin E-deficiency resulted in an almost 100% increase in proteolytic activity/g wet weight of muscle and per g wet. weight of muscle protein N of both the extracts and homogenates. Proteolytic activity of extracts of spleen, kidney and liver was found to be unchanged as a result of vitamin E-deficiency when similarly assayed.