Diagnostic value of alpha-glutathione S-transferase as a sensitive marker of increased risk for hepatocellular damage in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection: relation to HCV viraemia.

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is a disease characterized by a silent evolution, a wide fluctuation of transaminase activities, and the potential presence of significant histological lesions in patients with normal concentrations of transaminases. Alpha-Glutathione S-transferase (alpha-GST) is a class of enzymes responsible for cellular detoxifying processes. Its wide hepatic distribution, high cytosolic concentration, and short in vivo plasma half-life of this enzyme are properties, which may make monitoring this enzyme more clinically useful than conventional biochemical liver function tests as a marker of hepatocellular damage.