Heparin effect on the activity of certain lysosomal hydrolases in dog pancreas (in vivo investigations)

The effect of heparin doses of 1.5 and 6.0 mg/kg of body weight on pancreatic lysosomes was investigated in vivo in dogs. Latent activity of beta-glucuronidase, acid phosphatase and cathepsins in whole pancreatic homogenate, in the subfraction sedimenting at 15 000 x g, and in the supernatant was determined as an index of lysosomal stability. In the whole homogenate a rise in the total activity of beta-glucuronidase was observed, proportional to heparin dose while there was no effect of heparin on the latent activity of beta-glucuronidase and acid phosphatase. On the other hand, the proportion of the latent activity of cathepsins in their total activity increased in heparin-treated dogs, which points to a direct stabilizing effect of the drug on pancreatic lysosomes in the dog. Investigations of subfractions gave, in part only, results approaching those obtained in the whole homogenate.