The evaluation of the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase under different patho-physiological conditions : a combined enzyme histochemical and biochemical approach

This thesis is based on a series of metabolic studies conducted on material obtained from human and experimental animal tissues and cells. The studies are essentially enzyme histochemical complemented when thought necessary with biochemical investigations performed on tissue homogenates of the same material. The human material comprises skeletal muscle biopsies from patients with and without apparent diseases of the neuromuscular system, cardiac muscle specimens obtained through autopsy performances, surgical specimens and cytology material from different organs removed for diagnostic purposes. Skeletal muscle specimens from rats were prepared after the performance of experimental models conducted to induce the desired myopathy after the administration of myotoxic drugs in or without combination with protein synthesis inhibitors, and from rabbits with vitamin E deficiency. The examination for the activity of sometimes more than 20 enzymes belonging to different metabolic pathways, essentially oxidoreductases, hydrolases, transferases and isomerases, was found necessary for a reliable correlation. The results of each experience have already been published or are about to be published separately.