Letizia C, Picarelli A, De Ciocchis A, Di Giovambattista F, Greco M, Cerci S, Torsoli A, Scavo D
I Patologia Medica and Cattedra di Gastroenterologia, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy.
Dig Dis Sci. 1996 Nov;41(11):2268-71. doi: 10.1007/BF02071411.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is a dipeptidylcarboxypeptidase that occurs in three types of cells: endothelial, epithelial, and neuroepithelial. ACE activity is present in plasma, urine, and vascular endothelium. High levels of ACE are found in the brush border of human small bowel. The aim of this study was to evaluate ACE activity in human stools and to find a correlation with the intestinal loss of epithelial cells. Fifteen healthy subjects (HS) (8 males, 7 females; age range 6-56 years), 20 patients with celiac disease (CD) (11 males, 9 females; age range 15-53 years), and 18 patients with CD in remission after a gluten-free diet (CD-GFD) (8 males, 10 females; age range 14-54 years) were enrolled in the study. The fecal ACE activity was measured in all groups. Fecal samples were kept at -20 degrees C for a subsequent test. In HS, fecal ACE activity was 21.03 +/- 16.17 nmol/min/100 g (mean +/- SD). In patients with CD with subtotal mucosa atrophy, ACE activity was significantly higher (113 +/- 88.94) than in HS and CD on GFD (36.65 +/- 23.9). We have demonstrated ACE activity in human stools. ACE activity in stools seems to derive from the microvilli of the intestinal mucosa, thus suggesting the potential usefulness of ACE determination as an index of enterocyte damage.
血管紧张素转换酶（ACE）是一种二肽基羧肽酶，存在于三种类型的细胞中：内皮细胞、上皮细胞和神经上皮细胞。ACE活性存在于血浆、尿液和血管内皮中。在人类小肠的刷状缘中发现了高水平的ACE。本研究的目的是评估人类粪便中的ACE活性，并找出其与上皮细胞肠道丢失之间的相关性。15名健康受试者（HS）（8名男性，7名女性；年龄范围6 - 56岁）、20名乳糜泻（CD）患者（11名男性，9名女性；年龄范围15 - 53岁）和18名接受无麸质饮食后处于缓解期的CD患者（CD - GFD）（8名男性，10名女性；年龄范围14 - 54岁）参与了该研究。对所有组的粪便ACE活性进行了测量。粪便样本保存在 - 20℃用于后续检测。在HS中，粪便ACE活性为21.03±16.17 nmol/分钟/100克（平均值±标准差）。在患有全层黏膜萎缩的CD患者中，ACE活性显著高于HS和接受GFD的CD患者（分别为113±88.94和36.65±23.9）。我们已经证明了人类粪便中存在ACE活性。粪便中的ACE活性似乎源自肠黏膜的微绒毛，因此表明测定ACE作为肠细胞损伤指标可能具有实用性。
