Determination of the activity of pyruvate kinase isoforms in normal conditions, in toxic liver damage and during the process of its regeneration
Objective. To evaluate the activity of pyruvate kinase (PK) isoforms in normal conditions, in toxic damage of the liver and during its regeneration. Materials and methods. An experimental study was carried out on 45 Wistar rats. Toxic liver damage was induced by the intraperitoneal administration of carbon tetrachloride. Mechanical damage was simulated by the surgical resection of the liver. The levels of PK isoforms R/L and M in the blood serum and liver tissue of the laboratory animals were measured with an ELISA test. Results. It has been found that the level of PK isoform M significantly increases in chronic toxic liver damage, which may indicate the activation of the processes of liver cell proliferation in response to the damaging effect of hepatotoxin (Mann-Whitney U Test: Z = 2.143; p = 0.032). After liver resection, the level of PK R/L, which characterizes the activation of glycolysis, increased and the level of pyruvate kinase M increased significantly, which reflected the processes of reparative regeneration in the liver. Conclusion. The serum level of PK isoforms may be used as a laboratory criterion for the activity of reparative regeneration processes, which can be used to evaluate the reparative potential of the liver in case of toxic or mechanical damage, as well as in chronic diffuse diseases.