[Serum arginase activity in patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma].

Preoperative and postoperative arginase activity was determined in blood serum of 25 patients with liver cirrhosis and 25 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The rise of serum arginase activity was observed in the majority of patients before the surgery and the decrease after tumor resection or liver transplantation. The preoperative values of serum arginase activity were similar in both groups of patients. A presence of additional, anionic arginase isoform (All) was demonstrated in serum of studied patients, which was absent in healthy subjects. Thus, our results indicate that the arginase activity cannot differentiate liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, arginase isoform All seems to be specific for studied liver diseases.