Diagnostic value of electrophoretical isoenzyme determination of l-lactate dehydrogenase in affected quadriceps muscle of patients with neuromuscular diseases

Abstract

In musculus quadriceps femoris biopsies of patients with inherited or acquired muscular diseases or with no apparent disease of the neuromuscular system the isoenzyme pattern of l-lactate dehydrogenase was investigated by agar gel electrophoresis. It was pioved that in different groups of neuromuscular diseases the isoenzyme pattern of the enzyme in affected muscle biopsies may be normal or may show a significant decrease of the isoenzyme M 4. A decrease of isoenzyme M 4 coincided with a somewhat less pronounced drop of isoenzyme HM 3. The isoenzyme pattern, however, has no diagnostic significance for the characterisation of the various types of muscle diseases in the quadriceps femoris muscle.