Blood and lab tests
What Is AST on a Blood Test?
AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase) · say it: ay-ess-TEEAlso written: aspartate aminotransferase, SGOT, ASAT
Short answer
AST is an enzyme found in the liver, muscles, heart and other tissues; raised levels can signal stress or damage in one of these.
What it means
AST is an enzyme that helps cells process amino acids. It is found in the liver but also in the heart, skeletal muscles, kidneys and red blood cells.
When cells containing AST are damaged, it leaks into the blood. Because it comes from several organs, a high AST is less specific to the liver than ALT. Hard exercise or a muscle injury can raise it, for example.
Doctors usually read AST alongside ALT and other liver tests. The pattern between them, and how they change over time, often says more than one number on its own.
Where you may see it
- Liver function tests
- Comprehensive metabolic panels
- Muscle and medicine-monitoring blood tests
📄 How it looks on a report
AST 45 U/L H
🙅 What it does not mean
- A high AST does not always mean a liver problem; muscle strain or intense exercise can raise it.
- It does not show the cause or the severity of any problem on its own.
- A hemolyzed (damaged) blood sample can falsely raise AST.
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
🧾 Reports where you will see “AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase)”
Paste or upload the report and every line of it is explained, with personal details removed first.
💊 Medicines whose labels mention “AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase)”
Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.
- Ampicillin Sodium
a penicillin-type antibacterial medicine
- Divalproex Sodium
An anti-epileptic (anti-seizure) drug of the valproate type. The label also uses it to treat manic episodes of bipolar disorder and to prevent migraine headaches.
- Isoniazid
An antibacterial medicine of the antimycobacterial type, used against tuberculosis bacteria
- Ondansetron
A serotonin-3 receptor antagonist, a medicine that blocks serotonin 5-HT3 receptors to help prevent nausea and vomiting
🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase)” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
- NCI Dictionary definition ↗
US National Cancer Institute: “sgot”
- MedlinePlus lab test guides ↗
US National Library of Medicine
Seeing this word on your own report? Get every line of it explained, free.
Explain my report🧩 Related words
🔎 Look up another word
More words: blood and lab tests
General information about a medical word, not advice about your own results. Ask the clinician who ordered the test what it means for you.