Enzymes of collagen biosynthesis in skin and serum in dermatological diseases. I. Enzymes of the skin.

Immunoreactive prolyl hydroxylase protein, prolyl hydroxylase activity and galactosylhydroxylysyl glucosyltransferase activity were measured in skin biopsies from 54 patients with various dermatological disorders and compared with results from 15 control samples; The mean prolyl hydroxylase activity was significantly elevated in case of keloids (P less than 0.001) and lichen ruber planus (P less than 0.02) and the mean galactosylhydroxylysyl glucosyltransferase activity in keloids (P less than 0.005), lichen ruber planus (P less than 0.02) and psoriasis (P less than 0.05), and high activities of these two enzymes were also occasionally found in other skin diseases and active systemic connective tissue diseases. These two enzyme activities correlated highly significantly (P less than 0.001) with each other in the total disease material. Immunoreactive prolyl hydroxylase protein was significantly elevated in psoriasis (P less than 0.02) lichen ruber planus (P less than 0.005), but not in keloids, where very high activities of the corresponding enzyme were found. Active prolyl hydroxylase constituted about 1.3% of total immunoreactive prolyl hydroxylase protein in normal skin, but as much as 10% in cases of keloids.