Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.2.1.31 (beta-glucuronidase)
 7,680 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The activities of several lysosomal hydrolases including beta-glucuronidase, acid phosphatase and hexosaminidase were compared in serum from 19 well-nourished subjects and 13 children (age 5--24 months) who were suffering from marasmus. The marasmic children exhibited growth retardation and muscle wastage but had normal serum protein values and absence of psychomotor retardation or oedema. Significant changes were observed in serum beta-glucuronidase and acid phosphatase activities. Compared to the control group, serum beta-glucuronidase (determined at pH 4.5 using the fluorogenic substrate, 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucuronide) was 2.3-fold higher (p less than 0.001) in the marasmic children. In contrast, serum acid phosphatase values were approximately 50% lower (p less than 0.01) in the marasmic population. Serum hexosaminidase values in the two groups under study were not significantly different. Determination of the beta-glucuronidase to acid phosphatase ratio permitted effective discrimination (p less than 0.001) of serum from normal and protein-calorie malnourished children. The finding that the elevated value of the beta-glucuronidase : acid phosphatase ratio (0.64--1.37) decreased to within the normal range of values (0.10--0.43) after nutritional rehabilitation of several marasmic cases indicates that the determination of serum lysosomal hydrolases using fluorogenic substrates might provide a rapid and sensitive quantitative method for objectively evaluating the status of protein-calorie malnourished children and their responsiveness to nutritional therapy.
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PMID:Changes in serum lysosomal hydrolases in marasmus. 10 62

Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) is common in underprivileged populations in many parts of the world and results from diets deficient in protein (kwashiorkor) or protein and calories (marasmus). The literature documents renal tubular abnormalities in children with PEM. In PEM the reabsorption of amino acids and phosphate is defective. In many kidney disorders in which renal tubular function is impaired (e.g., diabetes, preeclampsia, nephrotic syndrome, sickle cell anemia), lysosomal enzymuria ensues. We compared the urinary excretion of the following five lysosomal enzymes in 31 Nigerian children with marasmus, kwashiorkor, or marasmic-kwashiorkor: beta-hexosaminidase, alpha-galactosidase, beta-galactosidase, beta-glucuronidase, and alpha-mannosidase. All of the protein energy malnourished children and the 18 age- and gender-matched controls were from the city of Jos, located in central Nigeria. In the severely malnourished children, the urine levels of all five lysosomal enzymes (expressed as units of enzyme activity per mg creatinine) were markedly increased. The greatest increases were seen with beta-hexosaminidase (16-fold) and beta-glucuronidase (14-fold). Routine clinical analyses also revealed that, relative to the control population, the sera of the 14 most severely malnourished patients contained 2- to 5-fold more vitamin B12 and markedly reduced levels (15%, p < 0.00001) of calcium. These data are significant in that they document lysosomal enzymuria in Nigerian children with severe PEM and point to the potential diagnostic utility of the urinary beta-galactosidase determination for assessing renal function in children with this disorder.
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PMID:Lysosomal enzymuria in protein energy malnutrition. 948 33