Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an enzyme found throughout the body, with particularly high concentrations in the liver, bones, kidneys, and bile ducts. Its primary role is dephosphorylation, removing phosphate groups from molecules, regulating numerous metabolic pathways. A variety of diseases exhibit elevated ALP levels. Paget’s disease, osteomalacia, and rickets are characterized by elevated ALP levels. In the liver, elevated ALP levels occur with hepatitis, cirrhosis, cholestasis and liver cancer. Cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) and cholelithiasis (gallstones) are associated with increased ALP levels due to bile duct obstruction. Hyperparathyroidism, involving excessive production of parathyroid hormone (PTH), leads to increased bone resorption and elevated ALP levels. Low ALP levels, though rare, can indicate conditions like hypophosphatasia, a genetic disorder affecting bone mineralization. The normal range in the blood is quite broad, typically stated as 30 - 120 IU/L. AkrivisBio’s Alkaline Phosphatase Activity assay is a simple, sensitive means of measuring ALP activity in a variety of biological samples. In our assay, 4-MUP is hydrolyzed to 4-MU, an intensely fluorescent product using excitation 360 nm/ emission 460 nm. Sensitivity is below 1 µU.
