Increase of creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase in the serum of rats submitted to experimental intestinal infarction.

Acute intestinal ischemia is a severe condition for which no early biochemical index exists at present. We have investigated the effect of experimental intestinal infarction in the rat on the serum concentration of total creatine kinase, creatine kinase BB and total lactate dehydrogenase. Suppression of blood supply from the superior mesenteric artery resulted in marked increases of total creatine kinase, of its BB isoenzyme, and of total lactate dehydrogenase. Whereas total creatine kinase and total lactate dehydrogenase cannot be regarded as specific markers of the intestine, creatine kinase BB could prove to be more specific in view of its limited tissue distribution.