Variations in serum sorbitol dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase, and isoenzyme 5 of lactate dehydrogenase activities in horses given carbon tetrachloride.

This research study investigates the impact of carbon tetrachloride on horses, specifically its effects on liver damage. The study uses monitoring of certain enzyme activities as a way to determine the extent of the damage.

Research Background and Methodology

• In this study, seven horses were given 0.5 mg of carbon tetrachloride per kg of body weight through a nasogastric tube. This dose was chosen in an attempt to induce hepatocellular damage, otherwise known as injury to liver cells.
• This damage was then observed by measuring the activities of specific enzymes in the horses’ serum (blood plasma).
• The enzymes observed were sorbitol dehydrogenase, isoenzyme 5 of lactate dehydrogenase, and aspartate transaminase. These enzymes are known indicators of liver function, and an increase in their presence is typically associated with liver damage.
• The researchers also measured creatinine kinase activity as a marker for muscle cell damage. This served as a control to ensure that observed changes in the enzyme activities were indeed due to liver damage and not muscle damage.

Research Findings

• It was found that 24 hours after the administration of carbon tetrachloride, the activities of sorbitol dehydrogenase, isoenzyme 5 of lactate dehydrogenase, and aspartate transaminase had significantly increased. This supported the hypothesis that carbon tetrachloride induces hepatocellular damage.
• The activities of isoenzyme 5 of lactate dehydrogenase and sorbitol dehydrogenase returned to their baseline levels several days before aspartate transaminase. This indicates that the recovery process from the incurred liver damage follows a certain physiologic sequence.
• The creatinine kinase activity remained unchanged throughout, indicating that the muscle cells were not affected by the carbon tetrachloride. This confirms that the alterations in enzyme activities were indeed related to liver damage, not muscle injury.