Peroxidase response of erythron in anemia.

Abstract

In order to evaluate a hematological significance of the peroxidase reaction of erythrocytes or/and erythroblasts, six cases of various type of anemia i.e. one case of iron deficiency anemia of a weanling, one case of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, one case of erythroblastosis fetalis due to Rh incompatibility, one case of anemia due to intestinal hemorrhage, one case of pernicious anemia and one infantile case of megaloblastic anemia, were observed under the serial examination by combined use of the new technique of counting chamber method of peroxidase reaction devised by the author and of other routine hematological procedures. The results may be summarized as follow;1. A certain regularity was noticed in the relationship between the peroxidase activity of erythrocytes or/and erythroblasts on one hand and the hemopoietic activity of erythron on the other. The peroxidase activity of erythron was greatly stimulated, in other words the critical increase of strongly peroxidase-positive erythrocytes in blood and erythroblasts in bone marrow developed at an early stage of blood regeneration.2. To describe this remarkable phenomenon-the striking increase of strongly peroxidase-positive erythron at an early stage of blood regeneration-the author suggested the designation “Peroxidase Response” of erythron.3. “Peroxidase Response” of erythrocytes or/and erythroblasts was a favorable sign, for the course of anemia of the presented cases.4 It was surprising how rapidly the phenomenon had occurred in a case of pernicious anemia, i.e. the “Peroxidase Response” of megalo blasts in the bone marrow developed within five hours of the commencement of the specific therapy, and that of erythrocytes in the blood wasobserved shortly before the appearance of reticulocytosis. 5. In an infantile case of megaloblastic anemia, a marked peroxidase response of erythrocytes in blood seemed to occur a few days earlier than the following reticulocyte response.6. As had been shown in one of my own cases, the determination of peroxidase level of erythrocytes or/and erythroblasts may be useful as a bone marrow function test and consequently as a test of the potency of therapeutic agents for anemic cases.