title: Fractionation of gamma-glutamyltransferase in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and alcoholic liver disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess how serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) fractions vary in patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples were obtained from 14 patients with biopsy-proven alcoholic liver diseases and 9 patients with biopsy proven non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In addition to these biopsy-proven cases, 16 obese (body mass index > 25) patients without any history of alcohol consumption but with a fatty liver on ultrasound examination and with elevated GGT were included for an additional analysis. Serum GGT fractionation was conducted by high-performance gel filtration liquid chromatography and was separated into the four fractions, big-GGT, medium-GGT, small-GGT (s-GGT), and free-GGT (f-GGT).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results were expressed as a ratio of each fraction including the total GGT (t-GGT). The s-GGT/t-GGT ratios were lowest for the control group and highest for the ALD group. The differences between the control and NAFLD groups and also between the NAFLD and ALD groups were statistically significant. In contrast, the f-GGT/t-GGT ratios were highest in the control group and lowest in the ALD group, with the differences being statistically significant. As a result, the s-GGT/f-GGT ratios were markedly increased in the NAFLD group as compared with the control group. The increase of the s-GGT/t-GGT ratios, the decrease of the f-GGT/t-GGT ratios, and the increase of s-GGT/F-GGT ratios as compared with the control group subjects were also found in obese patients with clinically diagnosed fatty change of the liver.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum GGT fractionation by high-performance gel filtration liquid chromatography is potentially useful for the differential diagnosis of ALD and NAFLD.
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Sueyoshi, Setsu Sawai, Masanori Seimiya, Kazuyuki Sogawa, Fumio Nomura, Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sueyoshi
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Sueyoshi, Setsu Sawai, Masanori Seimiya, Kazuyuki Sogawa, Fumio Nomura, Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Setsu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sawai
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Sueyoshi, Setsu Sawai, Masanori Seimiya, Kazuyuki Sogawa, Fumio Nomura, Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Sueyoshi, Setsu Sawai, Masanori Seimiya, Kazuyuki Sogawa, Fumio Nomura, Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seimiya
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Sueyoshi, Setsu Sawai, Masanori Seimiya, Kazuyuki Sogawa, Fumio Nomura, Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sogawa
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Sueyoshi, Setsu Sawai, Masanori Seimiya, Kazuyuki Sogawa, Fumio Nomura, Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fukumura
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Sueyoshi, Setsu Sawai, Masanori Seimiya, Kazuyuki Sogawa, Fumio Nomura, Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Mikihiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsutsumi
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Sueyoshi, Setsu Sawai, Masanori Seimiya, Kazuyuki Sogawa, Fumio Nomura, Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nomura
keywords: Alcoholic liver disease; Gamma-glutamyltransferase; Gel filtration liquid chromatography; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; f-GGT/t-GGT ratios