Some glycolytic enzymes in normal cerebrospinal fluid, brain tissue and blood plasma of infants

Abstract

The activities of several glycolytic enzymes (hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase, lactate dehydrogenase) as well as glycerol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase and (Mg 2+)ATPase in normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood plasma samples, from 12 healthy infants, aged 2–18 months, and in supernatants from brain tissue slices, taken during neurosurgical operations from infants of the same range of age were estimated. The values obtained confirm the high activity of the above enzymes found in animal brains, and indicate an independence of these activities in blood plasma and CSF. The origin of the activities of the investigated enzymes in CSF seems to be mainly, if not exclusively, from brain tissue. This might be useful for detection of brain tissue damage as was earlier proven with LDH activity in CSF.