Exoglycosidase markers of diseases

Exoglycosidases are hydrolases involved in lysosomal degradation of oligosaccharide chains of glycoconjugates (glycoproteins, glycolipids and proteoglycans). In tissues and body fluids, a higher exo-glycosidase specific activity is found in N-acetyl-beta-hexosaminidase, than beta-glucuronidase, alpha-L-fucosidase, beta-galactosidase, alpha-mannosidase and alpha-glucosidase. Determination of exoglycosidases (especially N-acetyl-beta-hexosaminidase and beta-glucuronidase) in body fluids could be an inexpensive, easy to perform and sensitive test for pathological evaluation, as well as in screening and monitoring many diseases, including alcohol abuse, risk of arteriosclerosis, bacterial infections (e.g. Lyme borreliosis), chronic inflammatory processes, such as rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, asthma, autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis, as well as cancers.