Widespread enzyme of our organism which occurs in many tissues, its concentration is particularly high in liver, pancreas gland, kidneys, prostate gland (due to this reason enzyme content is twice the amount among men than women). GGT is located on the surface of the very cells.
The main function of the enzyme consists in transferring amino acids through membrane inside the cell.
Main diagnostic value of the test is represented in diagnosing hepatic injury. There is controversial data about whether GGT or alkaline phosphatase is more informative in liver pathology. However, the fact remains that during liver injury GGT level starts to increase rapidly.
Generally, there are 3 causes according to which GGT activity in the blood is changed:
- Acceleration of the given substance’s synthesis with the help of other enzymes, medications and alcohol.
- Membrane injury where enzyme is embedded under the influence of toxic substances, infections or mechanical influence.
- Detachment of GGT from membrane as a result of surface-active agents’ impact that are bile acids. The given situation emerges during cholestasis, biliary retention due to biliary obstructive disorder (stones, tissue swelling during inflammation).
The test is especially sensitive during alcohol intake. Tracing whether patient drank alcohol or not is possible when treating alcohol misuse. 10 days after stopping drinking alcohol activity of GGT decreases by 50%.
GGT has a distinctive feature to link with lipoproteins (fats) and at the same time form atherosclerotic plaques. Accordingly, research focused on studying GGT as a marker of cardiovascular diseases is still going on.