Enzyme activities and protein concentration in the intraocular fluids of ten mammals.

The research article focuses on establishing standard values for protein concentrations and the activities of certain enzymes in the intraocular fluids of ten different mammals, including humans. The study found little variation in enzyme activity across the species, except in rats, and noted the importance of avoiding contamination during sampling as it could affect the results.

Objective of the Study

• The primary objective of the study was to identify standard values for total protein concentrations and the activities of three specific enzymes – Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), Malate Dehydrogenase (MDH), and Phosphoglucose Isomerase (PGI) – in the intraocular fluids of ten types of mammals, including rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs, sheep, cattle, pigs, horses, and humans.
• The researchers sought to understand the species variations, if any, and the sequence of enzyme activities in different intraocular fluids.

Findings of the Study

• The study noted remarkably minimal species differences in the enzyme activities of nine out of ten mammals, with vitreal enzyme activities falling between 8.4 U/l (PGI in horses) and 92.4 U/l (MDH in guinea pigs).
• The sequence of enzyme activities found across all species was aqueous humor less than vitreous humor less than serum, except in the case of the rat, where the vitreous humor activities surpassed serum activities at least two-fold.

Significance and Implications of the Study

• The very low enzyme activities retrieved in the aqueous humor and vitreous humor samples necessitate special precautions against contaminations, originating either from post-mortem storage or inadequate sampling procedures.
• On the contrary, elevated enzyme activities could be utilized as probes to detect pathological processes or to verify clean preparation.
• The standard values established in the study could also help in comparative analyses of enzymatic activity and protein concentration in intraocular fluids across species in future research.