Argininosuccinate synthase as a novel biomarker for inflammatory conditions.

Argininosuccinate synthase (ASS) plays an important role in regulating metabolic functions in mammals. We previously reported that hepatic ASS is released into circulation at very high concentrations in response to endotoxin and acute liver injury. We propose that ASS may serve as a novel biomarker for various inflammatory conditions. Our data showed that ASS accumulated in serum and urine of septic, obese or tumor mice in a condition-dependent fashion. Moreover, ASS significantly increased in urine within the first week after tumor cell implantation in mice which subsequently develop tumors. These results suggest that ASS is a novel biomarker increased upon diverse inflammatory conditions.