title: The development of antioxidant enzymatic defense in the perinatal rat lung: activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase.
abstract: This report describes the development of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase activities in fetal (days 16-22) and neonatal (day 2 postpartum) lungs of normal rats. Each of the enzymes showed an individual pattern of development in the perinatal period. Glutathione peroxidase activity increased by 135% (p less than 0.001) during the last 3 days before birth, catalase activity by 105% (p less than 0.01) during the first 2 postnatal days, and the activity of superoxide dismutase by 52% (p less than 0.05) from gestational day 19 to 2 days after birth. Contamination by superoxide dismutase from blood in the lung samples accounted for less than 2% of the activity. In contrast, not less than 10-30% of glutathione peroxidase and catalase originated from the blood; and corrections were made for this source of error in each sample.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000378:metabolism*; D000975:Antioxidants; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism*; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D008168:Lung / Q000196:embryology / Q000201:enzymology*; D010500:Perinatology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase