Abstract
The serum level of transaminase activity have been widely used as a clinical marker of hepatic cell necrosis. Discrepancy is, however, frequently observed between the values of these enzyme activities and the degree of corresponding histological damage of hepatic cells. In this study, we examined the serum contents of β-glucuronidase, a lysosomal hydrolase, in terms of its usefullness as a new clinical indicator of hepatocellular destruction.
The serum immunoreactive β-glucuronidase was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using the and human liver β-glucuronidase antibody in patients with various liver diseases. Serum β-glucuronidase contents were significantly increased in patients with chronic active hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and primary hepatoma. The degree of histological hepatic cell damage were examined in 31 patients with chronic hepatitis. Significant positive correlation was found between the degree of hepatic cell necrosis and the β-glucuronidase contents, while no significant correlation was found between the cell damage and the transaminase activity.
It was suggested that the measurement of serum immunoreactive β-glucuronidase would be useful clinical indicator for the evaluation of the degree of hepatic cell necrosis.
