Related Experiment Videos
Cerebrospinal fluid enzymology: creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase activity and isozyme pattern as a brain damage
Insights
Investigating toxic-induced seizures in a child revealed elevated brain enzymes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in CSF indicated potential brain damage.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Biochemistry
- Toxicology
Background:
- Pediatric convulsive episodes of toxic origin require accurate diagnostic markers.
- Enzyme activity analysis in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can serve as an indicator of neurological insult.
Observation:
- A 4.5-year-old girl presented with toxic-induced convulsive episodes.
- Blood serum and CSF were analyzed for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) activities.
- Enzyme levels were re-evaluated 45 hours after initial testing.
Findings:
- Elevated serum and CSF levels of both LDH and CK were detected.
- Creatine kinase (CK) activity was significantly higher in CSF (680 I.U./1) compared to blood serum (160 I.U./1).
- CK in CSF was predominantly the BB isoenzyme (96%), and LDH was mainly the H4 isoenzyme (63%).
Implications:
- CSF enzymatic profiles, particularly CK-BB and LDH-H4, may serve as valuable biomarkers for assessing brain damage in pediatric toxicological emergencies.
- Serial enzymatic analysis in CSF can provide dynamic insights into the progression or resolution of neurological injury.
Abstract:
Blood serum and cerebrospinal fluid from a 4.5-year-old girl suffering from convulsive episodes of toxic origin were investigated for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) activities. Elevated levels of both enzymes were found. Furthermore CK was higher in the CSF (680 I.U./1) than in blood serum (160 I.U./1). The CSF activity was demonstrated mainly as the BB form (96%) for CK and H4 (63%) was the predominant form for LDH. Identical investigations were performed 45 h later and results compared with the first set. These data provide an additional example of interest in CSF enzymatic studies as a brain damage index.