Serum ornithine carbamyltransferase

Ornithine carbamyltransferase is an aminotransferase that is mainly located in the mitochondria of liver cells and is a liver-specific enzyme. It is most abundant in the liver and is basically absent in other tissues such as the small intestine. Its role is to catalyze the reversible transformation of ornithine to citrulline, which has important physiological functions in the body. It is a key step for ammonia to produce urea through ornithine cycle in liver cells. Determination of ornithine carbamyltransferase is a sensitive indicator of hepatobiliary disease.

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