BAP (Bone Alkaline Phosphatase)
Biological or Clinical Significance:
Bone is constantly undergoing a metabolic process called remodeling. This includes a degradation process, bone resorption, mediated by the action of osteoclasts and a building process, bone formation, mediated by osteoblasts. Remodeling is required for the maintenance and overall health of bone and is tightly coupled; that is, resorption and formation are in balance.
Skeletal or bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) is a tetrameric glycoprotein found on the cell surfaces of osteoblasts. As an indicator of osteoblastic activity, BAP provides information on bone formation. As a quantitative measure of bone turnover, BAP provides useful information on bone remodeling in osteoporosis and Paget’s disease.
Principle of Test Method:
The BAP assay is a solid-phase ELISA that employs the quantitative enzymatic immunoassay principle.