Effects of ischaemia on enzyme-activities in the soleus muscle of the rat.

1. The changes with the time of the activities of some energy-supplying enzymes and of the hydrolytic enzyme, acid phosphatase, were studied over 2 weeks of complete ischaemia, produced in the rat soleus muscle by section of the abdominal aorta and terminal devascularization, leaving nerve and tendon intact. 2. Activities of glycolytic enzymes, oxidative enzymes, hexokinase and acid phosphatase are affected in a different manner. Activities of the glycolytic enzymes, lactate dehydrogenase, triosephosphate dehydrogenase and glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase, are lowest on the 1st day and increase thereafter. The first two reach the control values again on the 4th and 14th day, respectively, while glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase reaches about 50% of the control value on the 14th day. The maximum decrease in activity of the oxidative enzymes, citrate synthase, beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase occurs later (4th day); thereafter their activity returns slowly to control values, but does not reach them even on the 14th day. Hexokinase activity is slightly decreased on the 1st day; then it increased and reached on the 7th day twice the control value. Thus on the 1st day the activity of the enzymes of aerobic metabolism prevail, and on the 4th day those of anaerobic carbohydrate (glucose) metabolism; the recovery of enzyme activity of aerobic oxidation occurs later. 3. Acid phosphatase activity increased from the 2nd day onwards, reaching up to 3 times the control value on the 4th day and still twice that value on the 14th day. This agrees well with the histochemical picture of acid phosphatase. 4. Histochemical changes of alkaline phosphatase activity reveal destruction of capillary endothelial cells during the first few days after operation and their later proliferation from the periphery, correlating with the loss and recovery of oxidative enzyme activity.