Serum lysyl oxidase activity in patients with various liver diseases.

Serum lysyl oxidase activity was examined in patients with various liver diseases. The activity of the enzyme was detected mainly in the serum fraction of the supernatant 80% saturated with (NH4)2SO4, and its molecular weight was estimated to be about 30,000 by Sephadex G-150 column filtration. Mean serum lysyl oxidase activity in 18 healthy controls was 129 +/- 50 (+/- SEM) cpm/ml and was significantly increased in patients with acute hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease and primary biliary cirrhosis, but not in those with chronic inactive hepatitis or liver cirrhosis. Serum lysyl oxidase activity was not correlated with the histological grade of hepatic fibrosis, but appeared to reflect active hepatic fibrogenesis in patients with liver diseases.