BAP (Bone Alkaline Phosphatase)

Analyte: Bone Alkaline Phosphatase
Specimen Type: Serum
Optimum Volume: 0.5 mL
Reporting Units: U/L
Method: ELISA
2-8°C 5 days
-20°C 1 year
-70°C 3 years

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.