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[Use of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and transketolase for characterization of pathologic processes in the
Insights
In active rheumatism, erythrocyte pentose cycle enzyme activity, including glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and transketolase, correlates with heart inflammation severity. Enzyme levels normalize with effective antirheumatic therapy.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cardiology
- Rheumatology
Context:
- Rheumatic heart disease involves inflammatory and dystrophic changes in the myocardium.
- Erythrocytes are accessible for monitoring metabolic changes.
- The pentose phosphate pathway is crucial for cellular redox balance.
Purpose:
- To investigate the activity of key pentose cycle enzymes (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and transketolase) in erythrocytes of patients with active rheumatism.
- To correlate enzyme activity with the severity of cardiac involvement (inflammatory vs. dystrophic).
- To assess the impact of antirheumatic therapy on these enzyme levels.
Summary:
- Erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and transketolase activity increase with cardiac inflammation severity in active rheumatism.
- Transketolase levels decrease in myocardial dystrophy without carditis, while glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase remains unchanged.
- Antirheumatic therapy reduces pentose cycle enzyme levels, indicating a decrease in cardiac inflammation.
Impact:
- The ratio of these enzymes may help differentiate between inflammatory and dystrophic processes in the heart muscle.
- Provides insights into the metabolic alterations in rheumatic heart disease.
- Suggests potential biomarkers for monitoring disease activity and therapeutic response.
Abstract:
In patients with active rheumatism the activity of the key enzymes of the pentose cycle -- glucoso-6-phosphatedehydrogenase and transketolase -- increases in the erythrocytes of the peripheral blood parallel with the severity of the inflammatory lesion of the heart. In patients with distrophic changes in the myocardium without concomitant carditis the level of glucoso-6-phosphatedehydrogenase did not change significantly, while the content of transketolase decreased considerably. Antirheumatic therapy helping to reduce the inflammatory reactions in the heart results in a reduction of the level of pentose cycle enzymes. The study of the ratio between glucoso-6-phosphatedehydrogenase and transketolase may prove valuable for an approximate evaluation of the predominance of inflammatory or dystrophic processes in the cardiac muscle.