title: Activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme in pleural fluid and serum in non-sarcoid, non-tuberculous pleural effusion.
abstract: The activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) was measured in pleural fluid (PACE) and serum (SACE) from 25 patients with pleural effusion due to cancer or non-malignant diseases. In all patients SACE was within normal limits. One patient with a rheumatic pleuritis had a PACE/SACE ratio greater than 3.0, but among the remaining 24 patients PACE was 12.1 +/- 6.5 U/ml (mean +/- 1 SD), and SACE was 21.9 +/- 6.4 U/ml (P less than 0.005), with a PACE/SACE ratio of 0.58 +/- 0.31. SACE and PACE were positively correlated in patients with exudative pleuritis (P less than 0.01). In hydrothorax due to congestive heart failure a very low PACE/SACE ratio was found. Enzyme activity or ratio was correlated to protein content (P less than 0.02) but not to aetiology of pleural effusion, presence of malignant cells, leucocyte- pr erythrocyte content. In general, measureable CE activity can be detected in pleural fluid, but this finding seems at present to have no clinical significance in these conditions.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000201:enzymology*; D010998:Pleurisy / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A