Activities of some antioxidative and hexose monophosphate shunt enzymes of skeletal muscle in neuromuscular diseases.

The activities of some antioxidative and hexose monophosphate shunt enzymes, as well as of 2 hydrolases were studied in skeletal muscle biopsy specimens taken from 39 patients with neuromuscular diseases and from 15 controls. The activity of Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase was higher in patients with congenital myotonia, whereas in the other diagnostic groups this enzyme activity was the same as in the controls. The Se-independent and total glutathione peroxidase activity of patients in the various diagnostic groups did not differ from the controls. Moreover, no difference were observed in catalase activity between the patient groups and the controls. The activities of the rate limiting enzymes of hexose monophosphate shunt, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase of muscle biopsy samples of various patient groups did not show any significant difference from controls. The activity of a lysosomal hydrolase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, was increased in patients with polyneuropathy and the activity of a nonlysosomal protease, alkaline protease, was high in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. The activities of Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and of both hydrolases showed a significant correlation to the magnitude of muscle atrophy.