Indices for the age of the creatine kinase M-chain in the blood.

The apparent activation energy of the CK reaction as well as the Michaelis-Menten constants and the isoelectric point of CK MM can be used as indices for the mean age of the CK M-chain in the blood in vivo and in vitro. Modifications in the CK M-chain take place in vivo in the blood and in vitro in a serum matrix. Gradual increases in the apparent activation energy are also observed both in vivo and in vitro. It is confirmed that the modification in the CK M-chain causes a rise in the apparent activation energy, mu. A gradual increase in apparent activation energy, due to the ageing process of the CK M-chain, was observed after myocardial infarction. A significantly increased value for u was observed at the time that total CK activity already had returned to reference values. In spite of the normal CK value, the apparent activation energy still indicated that there had been myocardial damage. The Michaelis-Menten constants for creatine phosphate and ADP are also influenced significantly by the modification in the M-chain. While the apparent activation energy increases, the Michaelis constants decrease in the order MM3, MM2, MM1. The Michaelis-Menten constants for both ADP and CrP can be used as an index for the mean age of the enzyme in the blood. The Michaelis-Menten constants for CrP and ADP show significant variations with the measuring temperature for virtually all CK MM forms.