title: Gas-chromatographic assay for heme oxygenase activity.
abstract: We have developed an improved assay for microsomal heme oxygenase activity, based on the enzymic release of CO from the alpha-methene bridge of hemin and the quantitation of CO by gas chromatography. The within-run coefficient of variation (CV) of heme oxygenase assays in microsomes from rat tissues (liver, kidney) averaged 8%; the between-run CV averaged 15%. The detection limit for heme oxygenase activity was approximately 1 nmol/h per milligram of microsomal protein. Gas-chromatographic assays of heme oxygenase activities in rat tissues correlated well (r = 0.94) with results by a spectrophotometric assay based on bilirubin production. In untreated rats, heme oxygenase activity averaged 7 +/- 3 nmol/h per milligram of protein (n = 36) in kidney microsomes and 14 +/- 5 nmol/h per milligram of protein (n = 17) in liver microsomes. Heme oxygenase activity was increased 10-fold in kidney microsomes and threefold in liver microsomes from rats killed 17 h after subcutaneous injection of NiCl2 (0.5 mmol/kg body wt). These findings illustrate the efficacy of the gas-chromatographic assay for measuring xenobiotic effects on heme oxygenase activity.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / Q000032:analysis*; D007668:Kidney / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D008861:Microsomes / Q000201:enzymology; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing)