Changes in some cytoplasmic enzymes from red cells fractionated into age groups by centrifugation in Ficoll/Triosil gradients. Comparison of normal humans and patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

1. A procedure is described for the fractionation into age classes of human red cells on a Ficoll/Triosil discontinuous density gradient. The fractionated cells appear minimally affected by the procedure. 2. Individual blood samples show a normal cell distribution, but the mean cell density may vary slightly. To allow for this in comparing samples, cell ages are expressed in terms of the mean and standard deviations from the mean. 3. Reticulocyte number decays exponentially in the gradient. By back extrapolation, a standard deviation can be computed corresponding to the theoretical age at which the sample contains 100% reticulocytes. This value can be used to calculate the theoretical activity of an enzyme in the reticulocytes and the enzyme half-life. 4. Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and glutathione reductase activities in unfractionated and age-fractionated cells were investigated in adults, children and patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 5. The half-life for adult glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (48 days) compares with that found by other workers. In children the half-life is 24 days, although the initial activity is essentially unaltered. 6. The half-life of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase was found to be 117 days; the activity of glutathione reductase did not alter throughout the life of the cell. There was no difference between adults and children for these enzymes. The same results were obtained with dystrophic patients as for control children for all three enzymes.