Application of nicotin amide-adenine dinucleotide analogs for clinical enzymology: alcohol dehydrogenase activity in liver injury.

The activities of alcohol dehydrogease(ADH) in serum and in the subcellular fractions of rat liver were determined with n-amyl alcohol or ethanol as substrate and thionicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide as coenzyme. It was found that the enzyme's activity ratio on the amyl alcohol and ethanol(A/E value) of serum and on the particulate fractions of the liver were different, but the A/E value of the soluble fraction was similar to that of serum. The A/E value of the particulate fractions were higher than that of the soluble fraction. From the results of experimental liver damage in the rat, it seems that estimation of the A/E value of ADH activity in serum is a useful parameter for the diagnosis of active liver injury. Since the A/E values of patients' sera differed from those of the normal subjects, the estimation of the A/E value of serum may give diagnostic information on liver injury, especially in chronic liver injury.