Simple Methods for Measuring Serum Levels of the Glutamic-oxalacetic and Glutamic-pyruvic Transaminases in Routine Laboratories

Measurements ofthelevels ofserumglutamicoxalacetic transaminase (SGO-T)and serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGP-T)have becomeuseful procedures inthediagnosis of somecasesofmyocardial infarction andofliver disorder (forinstance, Shabetai, Iglauer, and Anderson, 1957;Wroblewski andLaDue,1956a andb). Theprocedures described herearetheresult of workdonewiththeobject ofestablishing simple and economical techniques whichwouldnot require theuseofaspectrophotometer. Hitherto, methods applicable toordinary colorimeters have been developed by Cabaud,Leeper,and Wroblewski (1956) andbyFrankel andReitman (1956), towhommustgothecredit forperceiving thepossibility ofa technique operating without precipitation ofprotein.Thelatter methodis unpublished,* andisavailable onlyintheshape ofreagents marketed commercially. ThemethodofCabaudetal.ismorecomplex, involving protein precipitation andtoluene extraction, andhasbeenusedasthestandard reference procedure intheworkreported here.Themethod usedofestimating SGP-Twasthat ofWroblewski andCabaud(1957). Theprinciple adopted inthemethodofCabaud etal.consists inthetoluene extraction ofthe pyruvic dinitrophenyl-hydrazone derivatives ofthe products of theenzymereactions and their measurement inalcoholic alkaline solution by colorimetry. Thisprocedure hasbeenadapted to meettherequirements imposed bythedesire to avoidboththeprecipitation ofproteins (with consequent needforcentrifugalizati on)