A Study on the Serum γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase and Plasma Osteopontin in Alcoholic Liver Disease

Background  Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a major source of alcohol-related morbidity and mortality. Heavy drinkers and alcoholics may progress from fatty liver to alcoholic hepatitis to cirrhosis. The enzyme γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) is a membrane-bound glycoprotein which catalyzes the transfer of the γ-glutamyl group from γ-glutamyl peptides to other peptides, amino acids, and water. Serum GGT activity mainly attributed to hepatobiliary system and thus is an important marker of ALD. Hence the present study is conducted to estimate and correlate the levels of GGT and osteopontin (OPN) in ALD. Aims and Objectives  The objective of this study is to estimate and correlate the levels of GGT and OPN in ALD. Materials and Methods  Sixty clinically diagnosed cases of ALD and sixty age- and gender-matched healthy controls were recruited for the study. Blood samples were collected from them and serum aspartate aminotransferase, serum alanine transaminases (ALTs), serum ALP levels, and plasma OPN levels were measured. Estimation of serum aspartate transaminases (AST), ALTs, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was assayed by standard photometric methods in autoanalyzer ERBA-XL (EM-200) using commercially available kits. OPN was estimated by using commercial kit based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results  The parameters of the liver function tests such as AST, ALT, and ALP were significantly increased in patients with ALD ( p  < 0.001) when compared with the healthy control subjects. In the present study, significantly increased levels of γ-glutamyl transferases and OPN were found in patients with ALD ( p  < 0.001) when compared with the control subjects. OPN showed significant positive correlations with AST ( r  = 0.76, p  < 0.001), ALT ( r  = 0.64, p  < 0.001), ALP ( r  = 0.68, p  < 0.001), and GGT ( r  = 0.61, p  < 0.001). Conclusion  The present study focuses on the role of GGT and OPN that are sensitive indicators of liver cell injury and are most helpful in recognizing hepatocellular diseases such as ALD, hepatitis, and liver cirrhosis. Hence, the pattern of the GGT and OPN levels elevation can be helpful diagnostically.