Cathepsin A activity of normal bovine ocular tissues and pathological human intraocular fluids.

Cathepsin A activity assayed with N-Cbz-Phe-Ala, N-Cbz-Glu-Tyr and N-Cbz-Glu-Phe as substrates, was measured in fresh corneas, lenses, aqueous humor, vitreous humor and choroid plus retinal pigment epithelium taken from normal bovine eye balls and in human intraocular fluids from the eye balls in various ocular diseases (cataract, glaucoma, diabetes, intraocular tumors). Cathepsin A exhibited a pH optimum at 5.0 and showed the highest specificity towards N-Cbz-Phe-Ala as a substrate. In bovine ocular tissues high cathepsin A activity was found in the choroid plus retinal pigment epithelium and in cornea. The lens and the vitreous humor showed low enzyme activity and the aqueous humor none at all. In the human aqueous humor of the eye with cataract cathepsin A activity was more than three times higher then in the eye with choroid tumor. In human vitreous humor in absolute glaucoma the activity was twice as high as in melanoma and almost three times higher than in the case of lung metastatic tumor. Diabetes in glaucoma increased seven fold cathepsin A activity in the vitreous humor.