The heterogeneity of the serum activity of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase in hepatobiliary diseases as studied by agarose gel electrophoresis.

Using electrophoresis on agarose gel, the serum activity of gamma-GT in various hepatobiliary diseases has been separated into several electrophoretic fractions. Predominance of activity was always found in fractions corresponding to either alpha1-, alpha2- or beta-globulins. The predominant activity fractions have been related to the various disease states and to the zymogram patterns of gamma-GT found in bile and tissue homogenates of liver, bile duct and pancreas. Bile disclosed activity in the beta-region, tissue homogenates of liver mostly in the alpha1- and alpha2- areas, bile dict showed very faint activity in the alpha1- position, while extracts of pancreas revealed activity in the regions of alpha2, alpha2-beta and beta-gamma. In serum, dominance of alpha1-activity was found in all cases associated with alcoholism and alcoholic cirrhosis, this activity also appeared as the most frequent dominant one in biliary obstruction. Predominance of alpha2 and/or the beta-fraction in most cases occurred associated with malignant processes involving liver and/or pancreas.