Lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme distribution and patterns in chicken organs.

Abstract Unlike most mammals, chicken lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes cannot be separated using the ‘Titan-Gel’ electrophoresis. However, using isoelectric focusing at a pH range of 3·0 to 9·0, a good and clear separation of all five isoenzymes was achieved. Generally, three characteristic groups were seen: (a) those having a cathodic domination (breast muscle and serum) with mainly lactate dehydrogenase–5 (b) those having an anodic domination (heart, muscle, liver, pancreas, kidney, erythrocytes) of mainly lactate dehydrogenase – 1 and 2 and (c) those with a more uniform distribution (spleen, lung, and brain). The total lactate dehydrogenase activity was the highest in the breast muscle, followed by the heart muscle, liver and serum with the lowest activities in the lung and pancreas.