Enzyme immunoassay for manganese-superoxide dismutase in serum and urine.

An enzyme immunoassay has been developed to measure human manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) in serum and urine. The assay can be done in less than 5 h, is highly sensitive (detecting limit, 0.1 ng of Mn-SOD) and simple. There is no interference from factors in serum or urine under assay conditions, and the method is specific for human Mn-SOD. Serum Mn-SOD concentrations were markedly increased in patients with liver diseases, but not in renal diseases. On the other hand, urinary Mn-SOD levels were elevated in a few patients with nephrotic syndrome and lung cancer, but were decreased in patients with hypertension. Furthermore, investigations were conducted on the clinical course of serum Mn-SOD levels in a case of alcoholic hepatitis, and on correlations between serum Mn-SOD and the conventional liver function tests. The localization of Mn-SOD in liver was also explored using immunofluorescent staining. The fluorescence was intense in the degenerated portions of liver tissue from a patient with drug-induced hepatitis.