Lysozyme
Lysozyme is an enzyme of the innate immune system. In the gut it is released mainly by the Paneth cells of the small-intestinal lining and by immune cells such as macrophages and neutrophil granulocytes. Lysozyme is measured in stool.
What lysozyme does in the body
Lysozyme cleaves a building block of the bacterial cell wall (peptidoglycan) and can thereby dissolve mainly Gram-positive bacteria. It is part of the chemical barrier that the gut lining builds against microbes together with defensins and secretory IgA.
Low lysozyme – what does it mean?
Low values are usually considered unremarkable. An independent meaning of low values is less well established scientifically than that of raised values; they are considered together with sIgA and β-defensin.
Raised lysozyme – what does it mean?
A raised value shows an increased defence reaction in the gut lining with more immune cells involved. This occurs, for example, with gut infections, with a disturbed gut flora and with chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Together with calprotectin, lactoferrin and PMN elastase the reaction can be assessed more clearly.
The interpretation is given in your report.
Also known as: lysozyme, lysozyme, muramidase, gut defence
Contexts in which this value is measured
- Diarrhoea
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating
- Frequent gut infections
- Food intolerances
Analyses that include this value
There is currently no analysis in the shop for this value. A practitioner or doctor from the ORY expert network can tell you how else it can be determined.
View the expert networkReference ranges and how your personal value is to be read are set out in your findings report. You discuss the findings with a practitioner or doctor from the ORY expert network.