Separation of creatine-kinase isoenzymes on ion-exchange mini-columns for diagnostic purposes

For diagnostic purposes, creatine-kinase (CK) isoenzymes were separated on mini-columns of DEAE Sephadex A50 from the serum of 55 patients with myocardial infarction or cerebral disturbances and from 45 normal subjects. The optimum conditions of separation were determined by separation of CK isoenzymes (CK--MM, CK--MB, CK--BB) from human organ homogenates (skeletal muscle, myocardium, brain). In the patients with myocardial infarction the CK-MB isoenzyme activity amounted to more than 6% of the total enzyme value. The chromatogram in these cases was similar to that of human myocardium homogenate. The CK-BB isoenzyme was found only in patients with severe cerebral disturbances (cerebral hemorrhage). In such cases the chromatogram was similar to that of human brain homogenate. Therefore, by associating the assay of serum CK total activity with the separation of CK isoenzymes it was proved that the CK--MB and CK--BB isoenzymes can supply a useful test in differential diagnosis.