ABSTRACT
Measurement of one or more oxidative enzyme levels in a single small specimen — possibly contaminated with blood — is fraught with difficulties. Erythrocytes contain large amounts of copper- and zinc-containing superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx). Although care can be taken to obtain specimens containing as little erythrocyte contamination as possible, in many cases it is still necessary to compensate for the enzyme activity contributed by erythrocytes in order to obtain accurate and reproducible results. We have used the methods described below to measure the levels of Cu-Zn SOD, manganese-containing SOD (Mn SOD), CAT, and GSHPx in small tissue samples obtained from both normal cerebral tissue or various glial tumors. 1
