[Zinc- and copper-containing superoxide dismutase activity in rat tissues normally and in hypoxia]

Acute hypoxic hypoxia caused a distinct decrease in activity of Zn2+, Cu2+-containing superoxide dismutase in cytosols of rat liver and brain tissues and less distinct--in liver mitochondria and microsomes, brain mitochondria and blood plasma. On the basis of the data published in the literature, hypoxic inhibition of the enzyme appears to be the significant reason for the posthypoxic activation of synglete-oxygen pathway of lipid peroxidation in tissues, enriched with catalase [liver, kidney, blood ] as well as of hydroxyl-radical pathway of peroxidation in tissues with the low catalase activity [brain, heart, lungs].