Alkaline phosphatase activity in human colostrum as a valuable predictive biomarker for lactational mastitis in nursing mothers

Aims: Biochemical investigations have shown that an indigenous milk enzyme – alkaline phosphatase (ALP) – which is detectable in the lactocytes, plays a very important diagnostic role in clinical medicine, since its activity varies in different tissues and serves as a specific indicator of disease states. The purpose of this study was to evaluate ALP activity in human colostrum as a possible early predictive biomarker for lactational mastitis in nursing mothers. Patients & methods: During a period from May to July 2010, a total of 60 healthy nursing mothers were recruited for this study. Results: The mean level of colostrum ALP activity from the affected breasts was significantly higher when compared with ALP activity from the contralateral asymptomatic as well as ‘healthy’ breasts (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Determining ALP activity in colostrum could be a valuable biochemical marker for an early prediction of mastitis in nursing mothers.