Abstract
Maximal velocity (V(max)) is a well established biomarker for the assessment of tissue redox status. There is scarce evidence, though, that it does not probably reflect sufficiently in vivo tissue redox profile. Instead, the Michaelis constant (K(m)) could more adequately image tissue oxidative stress and, thus, be a more physiologically relevant redox biomarker. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to side-by-side compare V(max) and K(m) of an antioxidant enzyme after implementing an in vivo set up that induces alterations in tissue redox status. Forty rats were divided into two groups including rats injected with blood plasma originating from rats that had previously swam until exhaustion and rats injected with blood plasma originating from sedentary rats. Tail-vein injections were performed daily for 21 days. Catalase V(max) and K(m) measured in gastrocnemius muscle were increased after administration of the exercise-conditioned plasma, denoting enhancement of the enzyme activity but impairment of its affinity for the substrate, respectively. These alterations are potential adaptations stimulated by the administered plasma pointing out that blood is an active fluid capable of regulating tissue homeostasis. Our findings suggest that K(m) adequately reflects in vivo modifications of skeletal muscle catalase and seems to surpass V(max) regarding its physiological relevance and biological interpretation. In conclusion, K(m) can be regarded as an in vivo-like biomarker that satisfactorily images the intracellular environment, as compared to V(max) that could be aptly parallelized with a biomarker that describes tissue oxidative stress in an in vitro manner.