title: Arginase, a new marker of mammary carcinoma.
abstract: Activities of arginase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase were determined in sera obtained in a group of healthy women, women with verified carcinoma of the breast, benign mastopathy, a group of patients with carcinoma of various organs and a group of patients with acute viral hepatitis. Preoperative values of serum arginase activity in patients with breast carcinoma were up to 4-fold those found in healthy women. Sensitivity of the test was 86%. After the surgery, the activity decreased abruptly during the first week and normalised within 15-30 days. In benign diseases of the breast, the activity of arginase was normal. Serum arginase activity is raised in both benign and malignant liver diseases, however, the quotients alanine aminotransferase/arginase, aspartate aminotransferase/arginase and alkaline phosphatase/arginase differ significantly. Thus, use of alanine aminotransferase/arginase quotient implies a high degree of confidence in differentiating between increased arginase activity in mammary carcinoma (alanine aminotransferase/arginase = 0.572 +/- 0.278) and high arginase activity in hepatitis (alanine aminotransferase/arginase = 12.226 +/- 1.822).
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Straus
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cepelak
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Festa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D001119:Arginase / Q000097:blood*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000201:enzymology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology; D011379:Prognosis; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D001119:Arginase