%0 Journal Article %T Effect of heavy metal cations on the activity of cathepsin D (in vitro study) Effect of heavy metal cations on the activity of cathepsin D (in vitro study) %A Alicja Karwowska %A Rados£żaw £żapi¨½ski %A Marek Gacko %A Ewa Grzegorczyk %J Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica %D 2012 %I Polish Histochemical and Cytochemical Society %R 10.5603/19753 %X We studied the effect of heavy metal cations: Fe 2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Hg2+, Pb2+ on the activity of cathepsin D in human aorta homogenate and blood serum. The concentration of cations was 1 mmol/l. Hemoglobin was the cathepsin D substrate. The activity of cathepsin D was determined at pH 3.5. Only Hg2+ cations inhibit the activity of cathepsin D. Cations Hg2+ damage lysosomes and release cathepsin D from these organelles. We studied the effect of heavy metal cations: Fe 2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Hg2+, Pb2+ on the activity of cathepsin D in human aorta homogenate and blood serum. The concentration of cations was 1 mmol/l. Hemoglobin was the cathepsin D substrate. The activity of cathepsin D was determined at pH 3.5. Only Hg2+ cations inhibit the activity of cathepsin D. Cations Hg2+ damage lysosomes and release cathepsin D from these organelles. %U http://czasopisma.viamedica.pl/fhc/article/view/19753