Ageing and enzyme activity

✍ Scribed by M.H. Ross; J.O. Ely

• Book ID: 103079479
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1954
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 258 KB
• Volume: 258
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0016-0032
• DOI: 10.1016/0016-0032(54)90109-x

✦ Synopsis

In connection with investigations on age, diet and the enzyme activity of some particular enzymes in liver homogenates and of enzyme systems in tissue slices, it became desirable to know how the enzyme activity varies in normal rats at different ages.

Male rats of the Wistar strain were maintained on Purina Laboratory Chow [Crude Protein (min.) 23 per cent, Crude Fat (min.) 5 per cent, Crude Fiber (max.) 6 per cent, Nitrogen Free Extract (min.) 44 per cent].

The young rats, approximately 4 weeks old, weighed 3.5 to 4.5 gm.; the adult rats, 5 to 6 months old, 160 to 170 gm.; the old rats, approximately 21 months old, 450 to 500 gm.

Pieces of liver were homogenized immediately after removal from the animal, in the Waring Blendor at low speed for 30 seconds, or in one case, in the Potter-Elvejhem Homogenizer.

Slices of liver were cut with the Stadie-Riggs slicer. Enzyme activity determinations were made on all the tissue preparations at 37" C. To enable the recalculation of the enzyme activities on bases other than fresh weight, the following information is given :