Lecithin:Cholesterol Acyltransferase as a Component of Enzyme Patterns in Acute and Chronic Liver Disease A Preliminary Report

Abstract

It is well known that differing patterns of cell enzymes in plasma are associated with different liver diseases. Hence it can be assumed that similar variations exist in plasma between the patterns of export proteins of the liver. We have studied lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) as a component of enzyme patterns in the group of plasma specific enzymes. We analysed LCAT activity in 27 subjects with acute viral hepatitis — mainly HB-AG positive, 40 subjects with active chronic hepatitis, 25 cirrhotic patients with ascites, and 22 subjects with cirrhosis in the absence of ascites. LCAT activity was determined according to Patsch, Sailer & Braunsteiner (J. Lipid Res. 17, 182, 1976). Further determinations were carried out on aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, and g-glutamyltranspeptidase by optimized standard methods. Later we determined the cholinesterase, the Quicktest, and the clotting factors I, II, V, VII, VIII, IX and X with a Schnitger Gross coagulometer. Prothrombin, antithrombin III, plasminogen, factor-VHI-associated antigen, and activated factor XIII were determined by immunological methods. We found LCAT activity within the normal range in acute hepatitis, diminished activity in active chronic hepatitis, and the lowest levels in liver cirrhosis with ascites. This parallels the behaviour of most of the other export proteins of the liver we had examined. High inflammatory activity causes an increase in LCAT activity in acute and active chronic hepatitis. Correlations between LCAT activity and the levels of the other export proteins—even lipoproteins—in plasma will be discussed.

Key Words:

• coagulation factors
• export proteins
• lipoproteins
• liver disease