SERUM GAMMA-GLUTAMYL-TRANSPEPTIDASE ISOFORMS IN ALCOHOLIC LIVER-DISEASE

gamma-Glutamyltranspeptidase (gamma GT) appears in serum in multiple f orms; their significance and clinical utility in hepatobiliary and pan creatic diseases are still a matter of controversy. Electrophoretic se paration of the multiple forms of gamma GT on agarose gel was performe d in 20 alcoholic patients (six with cirrhosis and 14 with fatty liver ) and the results compared with those obtained in 50 healthy volunteer s, 43 patients affected with chronic hepatitis C, 36 patients with pos thepatitic cirrhosis and in 52 epileptic patients on long-term anti-ep ileptic medication. Multiple forms of gamma GT were separated into sev eral bands (up to 11), labelled 0a, 0b, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 4a , 4b. In the alcoholic patients nine fractions were detected, and the electrophoretic pattern observed was significantly different from that observed in healthy volunteers and in patients with chronic hepatitis C or posthepatitic cirrhosis. No differences were observed in the ele ctrophoretic patterns in the alcohol abusers and epileptic patients. I n alcoholic patients significant differences were observed in the elec trophoretic patterns in relation to the degree of liver injury; the el ectrophoretic patterns in patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis and posthepatitic cirrhosis differed significantly. The separation of mult iple forms of gamma GT has high sensitivity and good reproducibility. It may be proposed as a complementary test in the diagnosis of alcohol ic liver disease.