Association between Pyridoxal-5'-Phosphate Levels, Liver Homogenates and Serum Activities of Aminotransferases and De Ritis Ratio amongst Alcoholic Hepatitis Patients

Aim: The current study assessed the association between Pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) levels, liver and serum activities of aminotransferases (ALT and AST) and De Ritis ratio (DRR) in ten subjects with alcoholic hepatitis (test group -TG) and 10 healthy subjects without alcoholic hepatitis (control group-CG) with mean age of 41 years of both genders who were attending the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria.

Study Design: The current study was a randomized experimental designed work.

Place and Duration of Study: The study carried out in Chemical Pathology Unit, Department of Medical Lab Sciences, University of Calabar, Nigeria between December 2014 and December 2016.

Methodology: Appropriate samples were collected from both TG and CG after 8-10 hours fasting and treated using standard procedures. PLP was determined by techniques of Lumeng and co-workers, 1981 (reagents from New England Nuclear, Massachusetts, USA). Hepatic protein levels and aminotransferase activities were determined by spectrophotometric methods, (reagents from Sigma- Aldrich Company, USA). Liver biopsy specimens were obtained with a Klatskin needle for histology.

Results: Before PLP supplementation of liver homogenates a significant decreased in PLP levels, increased liver ALT and decreased AST activities were observed in test group. After one month of pyridoxine supplementation, there was a significant increase (p<0.02) in plasma PLP level in all groups with decreased serum AST and increased serum ALT activities ,while liver ALT and AST activities increased significantly (p<0.005) resulting to a decrease serum DRR (p<0.001) in test group.

Conclusion: PLP depletion may be partially responsible for the low serum DRR which is reputed to be a typical potent, non-invasive, economical and dynamic prognostic biomarker of alcoholic hepatitis.