What is Lactate Dehydrogenase?
Lactate dehydrogenase is a cytoplasmic enzyme present in virtually all body tissues that catalyses the reversible interconversion of lactate and pyruvate, a key step in anaerobic energy metabolism. It exists as five isoenzymes (LDH-1 to LDH-5) with characteristic tissue distributions across heart, red cells, kidney, liver, muscle, and lung. Because it is ubiquitous and released when cells are damaged, serum LDH rises with cellular injury or increased turnover in many tissues.