Liver Function Tests
A panel of blood tests assessing liver health including ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, and albumin. Liver function monitoring is relevant to several peptide drug classes and may be required during treatment with compounds that carry hepatotoxicity risks or undergo hepatic processing.
Technical Context
Standard LFT panel: ALT (alanine aminotransferase — most specific for hepatocellular damage), AST (aspartate aminotransferase — hepatocellular damage, also elevated in muscle/cardiac injury), ALP (alkaline phosphatase — cholestatic disease, bone disease), GGT (gamma-glutamyl transferase — cholestatic disease, alcohol-induced liver injury), total and direct bilirubin (jaundice, haemolysis), and albumin (synthetic function — reduced in chronic liver disease). For peptide drugs: pasireotide can cause hepatic enzyme elevation; somatostatin analogues can cause cholelithiasis (gallstones — reduced gallbladder motility) requiring periodic liver/biliary monitoring; cyclosporine requires LFT monitoring for hepatotoxicity; and carfilzomib/bortezomib may cause transient transaminase elevation. Baseline LFTs and periodic monitoring (every 3-6 months) are standard during many peptide drug therapies.