Origin of Seram Alkaline Phosphatasein Hepatobiliary Diseases

The activity of alkaline phosphatase was measured in serum and bile obtained during the postoperative period from patients laparotomized because of bile duct disorders. The half-life of alkaline phosphatase, as calculated from the exponential decrease of alkaline phosphatase following operation in 7 jaundiced patients, was found to be 2.15 ( ±0.34,1SD) days. In 6 patients without any pathologic findings in the common bile duct, but who had a T-tube after cholecystectomy, the amount of alkaline phosphatase eliminated by the whole body, based on the known half-life, was compared with the amount of alkaline phosphatase excreted daily with the bile alone. It can be shown that about 2.2 times more alkaline phosphatase passes through the T-tubes with the bile than would be in accordance with the theory of nonhepatic origin of alkaline phosphatase (retention theory). This clearly supports the contention that the alkaline phosphatase is produced in the liver and excreted in the bile. The hepatic origin of serum alkaline phosphatase in hepatobiliary diseases is discussed, with reference to earlier results.