LDH isozyme analyses of ethylnitrosourea-induced central nervous system tumors in rats

To provide the significance of LDH isozymes in rat CNS tumors, the changes in lactic dehydrogenase isozyme and calculated ratios of H- to M- subunit were studied by means of polyacrylamide gel enzymoelectrophoresis in tumor extracts from CNS tumors (7 astrocytomas, 4 oligodendrogliomas, 7 mixed gliomas, 6 anaplastic gliomas, 3 glioependymomas, 1 astroblastoma, 11 neurinomas, 8 anaplastic neurinomas and 1 meningioma in Wistar rats which were induced by ethylnitrosourea). The isozyme patterns were compared to those obtained from normal rat CNS tissues. Among the glioma group, oligodendroglioma showed the highest H/M ratio followed by mixed glioma, glioependymoma, astrocytoma, astroblastoma and anaplastic glioma in order of decreasing of H/M ratios. On the other hand, the H/M ratio of neurinoma was significantly higher than that of anaplastic neurinoma. These observation suggested that determination of LDH isozyme patterns could supplement the histological evaluation of brain tumors.