Plasma Creatine Kinase Activity in Mice with Hereditary Muscular Dystrophy

Abstract

The activity of plasma creatine kinase activity was investigated in Swiss albino mice, in mice with hereditary muscular dystrophy (strain 129) and their heterozygote littermates. In affected mice enzyme activity was markedly elevated (2 to 10 times the normal mean). No difference was noted between the enzyme activity of mice aged 6 and 10 weeks. Heterozygotes had the same plasma enzyme activities as Swiss albino mice. It is suggested that hereditary dystrophy in mice is more similar to the limb girdle type of human muscular dystrophy in respect to plasma enzyme changes. This would be in agreement with the cause of the disease, which in both instances is an autosomal recessive gene.

Plasma Creatine Phosphokinase Activity of Chickens with Hereditary Muscular Dystrophy

“…Increased serum CPK activity occurs in the muscular dystrophies of man [10, 13, 15 and others]. Serum or plasma CPK activity of the dystrophic mouse has been reported to be significantly higher [7], significantly lower [9], and to show no significant difference [14] from that of normal mice. Chickens show approximately the same tissue distribu tion of CPK activity as mammals : high in skeletal and cardiac muscle, low in brain and virtually absent in other tissues such as liver and kidney [6], It was of interest, therefore, to determine plasma CPK activities of dystrophic chickens.…”

Serum Creatine Phosphokinase in Mice with Muscular Dystrophy

“…At the time these reports were published, similar measurements were being made in this laboratory of mouse serum CPK, using the same strain of mice. Because the values found differ greatly from those reported [1,2], the results of these measurements are presented here.…”

“…Hosenfeld et al [1] used reaction (1) in the opposite direction and measured CPK activity in plasma rather than in serum. They re ported values of 77.5 p.M/1000 ml/minute for dystrophies and 16.0 p.M/1000 ml/minute for heterozygous controls (Dydy).…”

“…Two reports have recently appeared in the literature [1,2] of mea surements of CPK activity in the serum of mice with hereditary mus cular dystrophy and in unaffected controls of the same strain. At the time these reports were published, similar measurements were being made in this laboratory of mouse serum CPK, using the same strain of mice.…”