Adenosine deaminase isoenzymes in liver disease.

To clarify the clinical significance of increased serum adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity, and its mechanisms in various liver diseases, ADA isoenzyme activities (ADA1 and ADA2) in serum and the peripheral blood mononuclear cells were studied. High serum ADA activities were found in patients with acute hepatitis, alcoholic hepatic fibrosis, chronic active hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatoma. The ADA2:ADA ratio was decreased in acute hepatitis, but was increased in chronic active hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Clinically, ADA2 activity was correlated with serum gamma-globulin levels. In chronic active hepatitis, total ADA activities in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells were similar to those in controls. Furthermore, ADA2 activities after phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation were significantly lower than those without PHA stimulation, although total ADA activities were increased after PHA stimulation. These findings suggest that serum ADA isoenzyme activities may be a new marker for liver disease, and that the increased serum ADA2 in chronic active hepatitis is unlikely to be the result of an increase in ADA2 production by activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells.