Peroxidase activity in traumatic skin lesions.

Peroxidase activity was determined in experimental compression-excoriation lesions and incision wounds of rat skin after different periods of vital time. The peroxidase enzyme was extracted from the tissues by homogenization in 0.5% cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide, and the enzyme activity was measured from the supernatant by o-dianisidine-H2O2 assay. In the blood of the rats a mean activity of approx. 5.26 +/- 1.11 U/g dry weight was observed. In the control specimens of the skin the activity was very low and generally below the detection limit of the methods used. In 30-min-old compression-excoriation lesions the mean peroxidase activity was 0.38 +/- 0.21 U/g dry weight. In lesions older than 30 min the activity started to increase rapidly. In 4-h-old compression-excoriation lesions it was 10 times higher than the 30-min level and was 40 times higher in 12-h-old lesions and 70-100 times higher in 1-3-day-old compression-excoriation lesions, respectively. In 30-min-old incision wounds the mean peroxidase activity was 0.65 +/- 0.37 U/g dry weight. The increase of the activity compared with the 30-min level was even faster in the incision wounds: in 4-h-old wounds the mean activity was 50 times higher, in 12-h-old wounds 200 times higher and in those of 1-5 days it was several hundreds of times higher. Compression-excoriation lesions made after death showed activity similar to the control specimens. Postmortem autolysis at +22 degrees C resulted in a loss of the enzyme activity in 1-day-old compression-excoriation lesions so that after 3 days approx. 80% remained, and after 5 and 7 days approx. 40% was present. After 3 days of autolysis at +4 degrees C, nearly 100% of the activity remained and approx. 90% was present after 5 and 7 days of autolysis. Increased peroxidase activity was also detectable in human vital excoriations in the specimens which were taken in autopsies several days postmortem.