Activity of the liver enzyme ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OTC) in blood: LC-MS/MS assay for non-invasive diagnosis of ornithine carbamoyltransferase deficiency

摘要

Background: Liver enzymes are released from hepatocytes into circulation and their activity can be measured in the blood. We examined whether the plasma activity of the liver enzyme ornithine carbamoyltransferase, determined by a novel liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay, could be utilized for the detection of OTC deficiency (OTCD), an X-linked inborn error of the urea cycle.