Editing Aspartate transaminase (section)

==Clinical significance==
AST is similar to [[alanine transaminase]] (ALT) in that both enzymes are associated with liver [[parenchymal]] cells. The difference is that ALT is found predominantly in the liver, with clinically negligible quantities found in the kidneys, heart, and skeletal muscle, while AST is found in the liver, heart ([[myocardium|cardiac muscle]]), skeletal muscle, kidneys, brain, and red blood cells.{{fact|date=March 2021}} As a result, ALT is a more specific indicator of liver [[inflammation]] than AST, as AST may be elevated also in diseases affecting other organs, such as [[myocardial infarction]], [[acute pancreatitis]], acute [[hemolytic anemia]], severe burns, [[Renal disease|acute renal disease]], musculoskeletal diseases, and trauma.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AST/ALT |url=http://www.rnceus.com/lf/lfast.html |website=www.rnceus.com}}</ref>

AST was defined as a biochemical marker for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction in 1954. However, the use of AST for such a diagnosis is now redundant and has been superseded by the [[Troponin test|cardiac troponins]].<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Gaze DC |date=September 2007 |title=The role of existing and novel cardiac biomarkers for cardioprotection |journal=Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs |volume=8 |issue=9 |pages=711–717 |pmid=17729182}}</ref>

Laboratory tests should always be interpreted using the reference range from the laboratory that performed the test. Example reference ranges are shown below:

{| class="wikitable"
 |-
 |'''Patient type'''||[[Reference range]]s<ref name="gpnotebook-ast">[http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepage.cfm?ID=322240579 GPnotebook > reference range (AST)] Retrieved on Dec 7, 2009 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107125542/http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepage.cfm?ID=322240579 |date=7 January 2017 }}</ref>
 |-
 | Male || 8–40 IU/L
 |-
 | Female || 6–34 IU/L
|}