Pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency disease detected by the enzyme activity of peripheral leukocytes

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) deficiency is a common neurodegenerative disease associated with abnormal mitochondrial energy metabolism. The diagnosis of PDHC is difficult because of the lack of a rapid, accurate, and cost-effective clinical diagnostic method.

A 4-year-old boy was preliminarily diagnosed with putative Leigh syndrome based on the clinical presentation. PDHC activity in peripheral blood leukocytes and a corresponding gene analysis were subsequently undertaken. Sodium pyruvate 1-¹³ C was used for the analysis of PDHC activity in peripheral leukocytes. The genes encoding PDHC were then scanned for mutations.

The results showed that the corresponding PDHC activity was dramatically decreased to 10.5 nmol/h/mg protein as compared with that of healthy controls (124.6 ± 7.1 nmol/h/mg). The ratio of PDHC to citrate synthase was 2.1% (control: 425.3 ± 27.1). The mutation analysis led to the identification of a missense mutation, NM_000284.4:g214C>T, in exon 3 of PDHC.

The peripheral blood leukocyte PDHC activity assay may provide a practical enzymatic diagnostic method for PDHC-related mitochondrial diseases.