Effects of bovine enterovirus and type 1 diabetes on liver and kidney pyruvate kinase activity in an animal model

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the selective destruction of pancreatic beta cells. In addition to genetic factors, enteroviruses have been considered the main environmental factor involved in this pathology. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes and bovine enterovirus (BEV) on liver and kidney pyruvate kinase activity in rats. Fourteen male Wistar rats were divided in three groups: control, diabetes and a third group, which was fed with water experimentally contaminated by BEV. Increased blood glucose levels were found in both diabetes and enterovirus groups, whereas there were no alterations in the lipid profile. A reduced pyruvate kinase activity was observed in the liver and kidney of animals from diabetes and enterovirus groups. Under our experimental conditions, the ingestion of water experimentally contaminated by BEV induced alterations in glycaemia, and also interfered in the pyruvate kinase activity in liver and kidney of the rats, which might be one of the possible mechanisms involved in the T1D development.

The Usefulness of a Novel Screening Kit for Colorectal Cancer Using the Immunochromatographic Fecal Tumor M2 Pyruvate Kinase Test

BACKGROUND/AIMS: M2 pyruvate kinase (M2-PK) is an enzyme that is produced in undifferentiated and proliferating tissues. This study aims to evaluate the usefulness of the immunochromatographic M2 pyruvate kinase (iM2-PK) for the screening of colorectal cancer (CRC) and premalignant lesions. METHODS: Healthy volunteers and patients with colorectal neoplasia were enrolled in six academic hospitals in the capital province of Korea. The iM2-PK value was compared with the immunochromatographic fecal occult blood test (iFOBT) and fecal tumor M2-PK enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: A total of 323 subjects were enrolled. The sensitivity of iM2-PK for CRC was 92.8%, which was superior to iFOBT (47.5%, p<0.0001). For adenomatous lesions, the sensitivity of iM2-PK was 69.4%, which was also superior to iFOBT (12.1%, p<0.001). Compared with M2-PK ELISA, iM2-PK exhibited significantly enhanced sensitivity for CRC (97.5% vs 80.0%, p=0.0289). The sensitivity of iM2-PK was higher in advanced stages of CRC compared with cancers confined to the mucosa and submucosa (p<0.05). However, lymph node metastasis had no influence on the sensitivity of iM2-PK. CONCLUSIONS: The iM2-PK exhibited increased sensitivity for identifying CRC and adenomatous lesions compared with iFOBT. Given its rapid results and convenience, CRC screening using iM2-PK is promising.

Platelet enzyme abnormalities in leukemias.

Aim of the Study: The aim of this study was to evaluate platelet enzyme activity in cases of leukemia. Materials and Methods: Platelet enzymes glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), pyruvate kinase (PK) and hexokinase (HK) were studied in 47 patients of acute and chronic leukemia patients, 16 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML)(13 relapse, three in remission), 12 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) (five in relapse, seven in remission), 19 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Results: The platelet G6PD activity was significantly low in cases of AML, ALL and also in CML. G6PD activity was normalized during AML remission. G6PD activity, although persistently low during ALL remission, increased significantly to near-normal during remission (P < 0.05) as compared with relapse (P < 0.01). Platelet PK activity was high during AML relapse (P < 0.05), which was normalized during remission. Platelet HK however was found to be decreased during all remission (P < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between G6PD and PK in cases of AML (P < 0.001) but not in ALL and CML. G6PD activity did not correlate with HK activity in any of the leukemic groups. A significant positive correlation was however seen between PK and HK activity in cases of ALL remission (P < 0.01) and CML (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Both red cell and platelet enzymes were studied in 36 leukemic patients and there was no statistically significant correlation between red cell and platelet enzymes. Platelet enzyme defect in leukemias suggests the inherent abnormality in megakaryopoiesis and would explain the functional platelet defects in leukemias.