Liquimax SGPT (ALT)

Alanine aminotransferase (glutamate-pyruvate-transaminase) belongs to the group of transaminases which catalyze the conversion of amino acids to the corresponding á-keto acids via the transfer of amino groups; they also catalyze the reverse process. Although higher activities exist in the liver, minor activity can also be detected in the kidneys, heart, skeletal muscle, pancreas, spleen, and lungs. Elevated levels of transaminases are indicative of myocardial infarction, hepatopathies, muscular dystrophy, and damage to internal organs. Increased ALT activity in the serum, however, is a rather specific indicator of damage to the liver parenchyma, while AST is not necessarily a liver-specific parameter. In 1956, Wroblewski and LaDue described the first kinetic determination of ALT in serum. In 1977 and 1980, the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) recommended standardized methods for the determination of ALT with optimized substrate concentrations. The method described here is derived from the IFCC reference method. *TRIS = Tris(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane