1993 Volume 35 Issue 4 Pages 371-376
To evaluate the significance of Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) in chronic renal disease, we evaluated the plasma SOD activity and analyzed the plasma Cu, Zn-SOD isomers employing gel column chromatography. The plasma SOD activity was determined as the biological activity using the nitrite method and the Cu, Zn-SOD concentration was assayed from the immunological activity using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The subjects comprised 185 patients with chronic glomerular disease and 20 hemodialysis patients. Plasma from 170 healthy persons was employed as a control. Both the plasma biological activity and plasma level of Cu, Zn-SOD determined by ELISA were elevated in patients with chronic glomerular disease. In hemodialysis patients, a marked increase in Cu, Zn-SOD level (ELISA) was noted in comparison with the increase in SOD biological activities. Gel column chromatography demonstrated a marked increase in Cu, Zn-SOD monomer which was enzymatically inactive. From these results, we conclude that a marked elevation of the plasma level of Cu, Zn-SOD in hemodialysis patients was caused by an increase in the enzymatically inactive Cu, Zn-SOD monomer.
