Intensification of the xanthine oxidase activity of rat liver homogenates on storage

Abstract

The xanthine oxidase activity of rat liver homogenates increased severalfold when the homogenates were stored (aged) at 4 °C for several days. The increase could be demonstrated by measuring xanthine oxidase activity by xanthine utilization or allantoin formation from xanthine. The increase in activity was not correlated with the concentrations of allantoin, uric acid, xanthine, or hypoxanthine in the homogenates, and, therefore, is not attributed to decrease of substrate inhibition, but its demonstration was partially inhibited by relatively high concentrations of xanthine in the enzyme-assay reaction medium.The increase in xanthine oxidase activity was temperature-dependent and was unaffected by the presence of glucose or adenosine 5′-triphosphate. Lysis of unbroken cells during the aging period and microbial contamination were not contributory. Dialysis of a fresh homogenate partially inhibited the increase in activity, but the addition of the dialysate of an aging homogenate to a dialyzed or fresh homogenate did not stimulate activity.The mechanism of the increase in xanthine oxidase activity has not been elucidated, but the fact that stimulation of the activity by methylene blue decreases as the homogenates age, suggests that the rate at which reduced xanthine oxidase is oxidized by air may increase with homogenate aging.