LO: Describe the role of enzymes in the diagnosis and management of disease

• Tissue - enzyme complement
• Damage to cells may release enzymes into blood
• Elevated enzyme activity in the plasma are used as markers of organ/tissue disease

Liver (1)

• Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)

• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)

• Bile canaliculi

• Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)

• Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT)

• Markers of biliary obstruction

• Measured with serum bilirubin and albumin

• Liver function tests

• ALP used as a marker of bone disease

Muscle damage (1)

• Creatine kinase (CK) marker of muscle damage
• CK isoenzyme, CK-MB, occurs in heart muscle and was used as a marker for myocardial infarction but has been superseded by cardiac troponins

Gemini notebook

Quiz

Reference

1. Naish, J. and Denise Syndercombe Court (2019). Medical sciences. 3rd ed. Edinburgh: Elsevier.