BILIRUBIN AND PARANITROPHENOL GLUCURONYL TRANSFERASE ACTIVITIES AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL ASPECT OF LIVER IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEMOLYTIC ANEMIAS

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 25  (2) , 61-65
Abstract
The hepatic ultrastructural aspect and the hepatic bilirubin (Bil-GT) and paranitrophenol (PNP-GT) glucuronyl transferase activities were studied in 20 subjects with a chronic hemolytic anemia (HA) and 5 subjects with an aplastic anemia. In chronic HA the hepatic ultrastructural aspect showed mitochondrial abnormalities affecting structure (paracrystalline inclusions), size (giant mitochondria) and shape (irregular mitochondria); there was a decrease of Bil-GT activity in 80% of the patients. No connection could be shown between the HA etiology and the degree of the enzymatic activity decrease. The physiopathological mechanism of this enzymatic activity decrease is unknown; no deficiency of PNP-GT was observed; in chronic aplastic anemias there does not seem to be any modification, either of Bil-GT activity, or of hepatic PNP-GT activity. Bil-GT is often decreased in HA and that neither Bil-GT measurement nor the ultrastructural aspect of the liver distinguish chronic HA from Gilbert''s syndrome.