Rhodanese distribution in different tissues of rabbits

Cyanide is one of the most toxic substances present in a wide variety of food materials consumed by man and animals. Rhodanese is a sulfur transferase that catalyses the conversion of cyanide to thiocyanate, hence cyanide detoxification. In this study, the enzyme levels and distribution of rhodanese in different tissues of rabbit was investigated. The protein content of tissue extracts and enzymatic activities were calculated as units per gram tissue and units per milligram protein of the tissue. Results showed that in both items, the liver was the richest source of the enzyme followed by the kidney (the cortex and medulla), heart, and stomach. The results of this study might indicate the involvement of rhodanese in cyanide detoxification in tissues which might be more exposed to higher levels of cyanide. However, the widespread tissue distribution of rhodanese suggests an additional function for the enzyme which is specific to these tissues.