The activity of class I, II, III and IV of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) isoenzymes and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in the wall of abdominal aortic aneurysms

Objective: Human blood vessels contain a huge amount of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), which play a significant role in the metabolism of many biological substances and participate in various metabolic pathways. The aim of this study was the investigation of the differences between the activities of ADH and ALDH in the wall of aortic aneurysm and wall of healthy aorta, that can explain the pathological background of aneurysm development. Methods: For the measurement of the activity of class I and II ADH isoenzymes and ALDH activity the fluorometric methods was employed. The total ADH activity and activity of class III and IV isoenzymes was measured by the photometric method. The study material consisted of vessels wall samples obtained from 45 abdominal aortic aneurysm. Results: The activity of the class I ADH isoenzyme was significantly lower in the wall of aortic aneurysm than in healthy aorta. The other tested classes of ADH showed the tendency to lower level of the activity in aneurysm tissue than that in wall of unchanged aorta. The activities of total ADH and ALDH were also not significantly lower in the aneurysms. Conclusion: The decrease of the activity of class I ADH isoenzymes in the wall of aortic aneurysm may be a factor of some disorders in metabolic pathways with participation of these isoenzymes. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.