Enzymes in intestinal juice from patients with liver diseases and colon polyps: measurement of bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase.

Since the amounts of hepatogenous enzymes discharged into the intestinal tract remain unknown, this study was initiated to evaluate the amounts of the enzymes in the intestinal tract. Whole gut lavage fluid (polyethyleneglycol electrolyte solution) was administered orally to 42 subjects, consisting of 5 patients with hepatoma, 10 with chronic hepatitis, 10 with colon polyps, and 17 control subjects without liver disease. Two hr after the large intestinal lavage, the digestive tract juice was aspirated by colonoscopy, and the bilirubin (Bil), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the aspirates were measured. A positive correlation between the AST and LDH values was found, and a significant difference in these values between the hepatic disorders and the normal controls was noticed. A significant positive correlation between the ALP and Bil values was found, and a statistical difference in these values between the group of colon polyps and the controls and other groups was observed. This lavage fluid technique enables to estimate the amounts of hepatic enzymes discharged into the intestinal tract, thereby opening a new avenue for future enzyme research.