What Are the Functions of Alkaline Phosphatase?

Alkaline phosphatase is an enzyme that appears in many places in the body. Though this enzyme has many known functions, which range from diagnosing medical problems to manipulating DNA in laboratories, there are also many functions that have yet to be discovered and are being researched today. Researchers work with this enzyme every day, and hope to find even more ways that it may be useful to the scientific community.

Background

• Alkaline phosphatase is an enzyme that is found mostly in the liver and in the bones. Alkaline phosphatase is the enzyme that causes the chemical reactions that remove phosphates from a number of different molecules. These enzymes work best in an environment with a pH that is alkaline, and in removing acidic phosphates from molecules, they help to create that environment.

Clinical

• Current research is exploring the possibility of using alkaline phosphatase to save lives during septic shock. Septic shock, a condition where the body loses oxygen delivery due to infection, is the most common reason that patients in critical care die. It is unknown if alkaline phosphatase can be used to help septic patients, but it has reduced the number of deaths in lab animals.

DNA Manipulation

• Scientists use alkaline phosphatase as a tool to help in the manipulation of DNA. It is used most often to remove the 5' phosphate, stopping self-litigation of the DNA and making sub-cloning easier.

Diagnostic

• Alkaline phosphatase is used most often in a diagnostic way. Checking for an excess of alkaline phosphatase in the blood is a good way of testing for liver disease and liver problems. The reason for this is that this enzyme, which is prevalent in the liver, needs to have a free flow of bile through the liver. If there is no free flow of bile, then the flow alkaline phosphatase enzymes is impaired, and it is then released into the bloodstream.

Bone Growth

• Alkaline phosphatase is a pivotal part of bone growth and development. During the process in which bones mineralize, crystals of calcium enjoin with the structure and architecture of the bone, creating a larger and stronger bone. In producing an alkaline environment, alkaline phosphatase allows the calcium created by bone forming cells to crystallize, growing the bones and allowing the crystals to bond. Without this process, bones would never achieve their strength.