Studies of the cellular distribution of superoxide dismutases in adult and fetal rat tissues.

Activities of three types of superoxide dismutase in tissue fractions were significantly lower in fetal and adult brain and fetal limb preparations than in fetal and adult heart preparations. An exception was the cytoplasmic fraction of adult brain that had levels of Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase activity comparable to those in cytoplasmic fractions of heart. In addition, Mn superoxide dismutase activity appeared to be very low in all fetal mitochondrial matrix fractions and cytoplasmic fractions as well as in adult brain. Finally, the results of these studies emphasize the importance of two antioxidant defense systems in the tissues studied, one associated with the mitochondrial electron transport system and the other, the cytosolic Cu, Zn enzyme.