Serum Phosphocreatine Kinase in Hereditary Muscular Dystrophy and Cardiac Necrosis of Syrian Golden Hamsters. ∗

Abstract

Summary and conclusions

Serum phos-phocreatine kinase of Syrian hamsters with hereditary muscular dystrophy is increased in very young animals before any clinical or histological signs of muscle disease can be detected. Maximum increases are found at 26-120 days of age at a time when cardiac necrosis occurs. The serum enzyme levels are not closely correlated with the extent and severity of skeletal muscle disease. Elevated serum phosphocreatine kinase levels are pa-thognomonic of muscular dystrophy in Syrian hamsters, but fail to reveal heterozygote carriers of the recessive autosomal gene which conditions this disease. With respect to phosphocreatine kinase metabolism, similar anomalies exist in Syrian hamsters as in humans with muscular dystrophy (Duchenne type). In both cases, these enzymyopathies appear before any other manifestation of disease becomes detectable.