On the clinical significance of the plasma α-amino-n-butyric acid:leucine ratio

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Abstract
The ratio of plasma α-aminobutyric acid to plasma leucine that has been proposed as a specific biochemical marker of alcoholic liver injury, was measured in normal children and children with a variety of metabolic disorders. The ratio was found to be lower in children than in adults. It was elevated in children with Reye's syndrome, tyrosinemia, homocystinuria, nonketotic hyperglycinemia, and ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. The results indicate that an elevated ratio is not specific for adults with alcoholic liver injury and that the ratio may be high even without the presence of clinically apparent hepatic disease. An altered ratio may reflect the presence of an inherent metabolic defect.