Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) isoenzymes and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity in the sera of patients with acute and chronic pancreatitis.

摘要

OBJECTIVE: Acute and chronic pancreatitis is a major complication of alcohol abuse. The pancreas can metabolize ethanol via oxidative pathway involving the enzymes - alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) as well as the nonoxidative pathway. Human pancreas tissue contains various ADH isoenzymes and possesses also ALDH activity. In this paper we have measured the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase isoenzymes, and aldehyde dehydrogenase in the sera of patients with acute and chronic pancreatitis. METHODS: Serum samples were taken for routine biochemical investigation from 46 patients suffering from acute pancreatitis and 32 patients with chronic pancreatitis. Total ADH activity was measured by photometric method with p-nitrosodimethylaniline (NDMA) as a substrate and ALDH activity by the fluorometric method with 6-methoxy-2-naphtaldehyde as a substrate. For the measurement of the activity of class I isoenzymes we employed the fluorometric methods, with class-specific fluorogenic substrates. The activity of class III alcohol dehydrogenase was measured by the photometric method with n-octanol and class IV with m-nitrobenzaldehyde as a substrate. RESULTS: A statistically significant increase of class III alcohol dehydrogenase isoenzymes was found in the sera of patients with acute and chronic pancreatitis. The median activity of this class isoenzyme in the patients group increased about 35% in the comparison to the control level. The total alcohol dehydrogenase activity was also significantly higher (23.5%) among patients with pancreatitis than healthy ones. The activities of other tested ADH isoenzymes and total ALDH were unchanged. The activity of the class I ADH isoenzyme was significantly higher in the sera of heavy drinkers with pancreatitis. CONCLUSION: We can state that the increase of the activity of class III alcohol dehydrogenase isoenzyme in the sera of pancreatitis patients seems to be caused by the release of this isoenzyme from damaged pancreatic cells.