Alpha 1-Antitrypsin or α1-antitrypsin (A1AT) is a glycoprotein and generally known as serum trypsin inhibitor. Alpha 1- antitrypsin is also referred to as alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor (A1PI) because it is a serine protease inhibitor (serpin), inhibiting a wide variety of proteases. It protects tissues from enzymes of inflammatory cells, especially elastase, and has a reference range in blood of 1.5 - 3.5 gram/liter (in US the reference range is g...
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Alpha 1-Antitrypsin or α1-antitrypsin (A1AT) is a glycoprotein and generally known as serum trypsin inhibitor. Alpha 1- antitrypsin is also referred to as alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor (A1PI) because it is a serine protease inhibitor (serpin), inhibiting a wide variety of proteases. It protects tissues from enzymes of inflammatory cells, especially elastase, and has a reference range in blood of 1.5 - 3.5 gram/liter (in US the reference range is generally expressed as mg/dL or micromoles), but the concentration can rise manyfold upon acute inflammation. In its absence, elastase is free to break down elastin, which contributes to the elasticity of the lungs, resulting in respiratory complications such as emphysema, or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) in adults and cirrhosis in adults or children.
A1AT is a 52-kDa serpin (serine protease inhibitor), and, in medicine, it is considered the most prominent serpin; the terms α1-antitrypsin and protease inhibitor (Pi) are often...
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