What is the significance of the “transaminase” level in the laboratory test? In layman’s terms, the liver is the “kitchen” of the body, providing various nutrients to the body, while transaminases are like the “operating table” of the chef. Aminotransferases are essential tools in the liver cells. If a tool is thrown outside the kitchen, it means that the kitchen is damaged. Whoever is doing the damage is the cause of the disease. That’s why serum aminotransferase levels, which partially reflect the degree of liver cell damage, are most commonly found in liver function labs. There are two types of aminotransferases: alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). The half-life of both aminotransferases in serum is only 47 hours, versus 17 hours. That is, the transaminase’s reflect changes in liver damage in the last 1-2 days and are acute indicators. After treatment, changes are also rapid. Liver disease treatment is not only to normalize the transaminases, which is only to treat the symptoms; the key is to treat the cause of the disease, and that is to treat the root cause. For patients with hepatitis B and C, antiviral is the cure; for fatty liver, the key to treatment is to reduce fatty deposits in the liver; for alcoholic liver, the cure is to prohibit alcohol.