Abstract
Elucidation of the changes in the process of heme synthesis is considered to be most important for the understanding of the mechanism of anemia in various diseases. From this point, the activity of δ-ALA synthetase and dehydrase has been studied by several investigators.
In this present study, the change in activity of the heme synthetase, iron-protoporphyrin chelating enzyme, in the bone marrow cells was investigated in various diseases.
The paste of nuclei-mitochondria obtained from hemolysate of bone marrow cells after Goldberg was used as the enzyme solution. The solution together with incubation medium was then incubated at 37°C for two hours according to Labbe. Hemin was extracted and the radioactivity was counted by well-type scintillation counter. The activity was expressed as mμ moles per mg protein.
The following results were obtained. A considerable increase in the enzyme activity was seen in iron deficiency anemia and in cancer without cachexia. No significant difference from the controls was seen in the hepatic and renal diseases. A decreased activity was seen in some of panmyelopathy, cancer with cachexia and hyperthyroidism. Based on these findings, the factors regulating the enzyme activity and their relationship to the development of anemia were discussed.
