Increased plasma enzyme cncentrations in rats with functional ischaemia of muscle provide a possible model of duchenne muscular dystrophy

THE early and mid-stage histopathological lesions of Duchenne muscular dystrophy are highly characteristic¹. The early lesions are focal groups of muscle fibres undergoing necrosis surrounded by a field of normal muscle fibres, while in the mid-stage lesions there is marked proliferation of endomysial connective tissue between muscle fibres that are small, enlarged and sometimes with internal nuclei. During these phases of the disease process, serum enzyme levels of creatine phosphokinase (CPK), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) are markedly increased^2,3. These increases are often used in the diagnosis of Duchenne dystrophy.