ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Currently used serological markers for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction differ in appearance time and specificity for myocardial infarction, allowing no ideal single serological marker for myocardial infarction. Adenylate kinase (AK) is a ubiquitous enzyme which contributes to the homeostasis of the cellular adenine nucleotides pool. AK is abundant in the myocardium, and we postulated that AK3 could be used as a biochemical marker for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). MATERALS AND METHODS: We constructed an AMI rat model with ligation of the anterior descending artery. We measured the concentration of serum AK3 in the AMI rat model by enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) sandwich ELISA using monoclonal antibodies against recombinant AK3. RESULTS: The serum AK3 level started to increase in 3 hours and reached a peak at 6 hours after ligation of the rat coronary artery. The significant elevation of AK3 was retained for 2 days (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: AK3 is a useful serological marker for acute myocardial infarction in the rat.