Portulaca quadrifida Linn. has been evaluated for its hepatoprotective activity in Swiss albino mice using the mercury induced hepatotoxicity. The ethanolic extract showed remarkable activity against mercury-induced hepatotoxicity as judged from biochemical parameters such as serum aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and levels of lipid...

This study was performed to determine the potential hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of the microalgae pigment phycocyanin in galactosamine-induced acute liver damage in rats. Phycocyanin (50-200 mg kg i.p) was administered one hour before the galactosamine (600 mg kg i.p) and the blood was extracted 24 hours later to determine alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino tran...

Allatostatins (ASTs) are insect neuropeptides that inhibit juvenile hormone biosynthesis by the corpora allata. We have isolated a cDNA from the cockroach Diploptera punctata that encodes a 41.5-kDa precursor polypeptide containing the AST family of peptides. Translation of the cDNA revealed a 370-amino acid pre-pro-peptide consisting of 13 AST-type peptides and appropriate processing sites for...

background and aims: artichoke (cynara scolymus l.) is a plant of the asteraceae family. this plant is used in herbal medicine. this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of artichokeextract on insulin, glucagon, glucose, alkaline phosphatase (alp), alanine amino transferase (alt) and aspartate amino transferase (ast) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. methods: in this experimental s...

BACKGROUND To determine the best cutoff values of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine amino-transferase (ALT) in detecting viral hepatitis C infection among patients of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). METHODS 90 (44 male and 46 female) CAPD patients and 526 adult controls (266 male, 260 female) were enrolled. Serum AST and ALT were measured by an auto-analyser month...

Ethanolic extract (50 %) of stems of Calotropis gigantea R. Br. (Asclepiadaceae) at doses of 250 and 500 mg kg-1 were studied for hepatoprotective activity in male Wistar rats with liver damage induced using carbon tetrachloride, 2 mL kg-1 twice a week. The protective effect of C. gigantea extract was compared with the standard drug silymarin. Various biochemical parameters such as aspartate am...

(1) showed that pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (a phos-phorylated derivative of vitamin B6) is essential for serum aspartate trans-aminase (AST) activity.This coen-zyme is bound to an amino group of the enzyme during transfer,becoming pyridoxamine phosphate (2). In 1954, Karmen et al. (3) described a practical method of measuring AST activity. Although they gave no data, they did add buffered pyridoxal...