Calcium-activated neutral protease from muscle and platelets of Duchenne muscular dystrophy cases.

Calcium-activated neutral protease (CANP) has been purified from its endogenous inhibitor and its activity is monitored in the muscle of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) patients. The specific activity of the enzyme is found to be significantly higher as compared to normal. CANP from platelets of DMD patients is significantly higher as compared to activities in other myopathies and controls. Platelet CANP, therefore, may prove to be an index of pathological condition in DMD, since other myopathies do not show such a significant change.