title: Plasma xanthine oxidase activity correlates with the resistance to severe hypoxia in different species.
abstract: A rapid polarographic method of measuring the O-form of xanthine oxidase (XOD) is described. Activities of this enzyme and oxypurine concentrations were measured in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 1, 12, 25 and 60-day-old rats. In the CSF, the highest oxypurine concentration was found in the group of 12-day-old rats (34.07 +/- 12.37 mumol.l-1), and it remained nearly at the same level in groups of older animals. Oxypurines in the plasma, on the contrary, are polarographically measurable on the first day of life; in groups of older rats their concentration is below the sensitivity of the method (5 mumol.l-1). This was explained by the development of XOD activity in the plasma, which increased from 8.17 +/- 2.80 to 99.46 +/- 13.85 nkat.l-1 during the first 60 days of postnatal life. The higher the normal plasma XOD activity, the shorter was the survival time of the species during interrupted hypobaric hypoxia. Adult guinea-pigs and hamsters have no measurable XOD activity in the plasma; adult rats and mice have 99.46 +/- 13.85 and 259.69 +/- 58.23 nkat.l-1, respectively. The survival time of these animals at 10,500 m was measured following exposure to an altitude of 8,000 m for 30 min and 15 minute normoxia. Guinea-pigs survived 100.8 +/- 13.84 min, hamsters 54.25 +/- 11.33, rats 25.2 +/- 5.37 and mice 3.33 +/- 1.00 min.
authors.affiliation: First Institute of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stípek
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Novák
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vinklár
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trojan
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stastný
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D019271:Hypoxanthine; D007042:Hypoxanthines / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051379:Mice; D011048:Polarography / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012016:Reference Values; D013045:Species Specificity; D019820:Xanthine; D014969:Xanthine Oxidase / Q000097:blood*; D014970:Xanthines / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid
chemical_list: D007042:Hypoxanthines; D014970:Xanthines; D019820:Xanthine; D019271:Hypoxanthine; D014969:Xanthine Oxidase