What is the primary use of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in clinical chemistry?

The primary use of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in clinical chemistry is to couple with hexokinase for glucose assays. This enzyme plays a crucial role in the hexose monophosphate shunt, which is essential for the metabolic pathway of glucose. When glucose is phosphorylated by hexokinase, it forms glucose-6-phosphate. The action of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase on glucose-6-phosphate then leads to the production of NADPH and 6-phosphoglucono-δ-lactone, which can be measured spectrophotometrically. This coupling allows for a highly sensitive and specific determination of glucose levels in blood samples, making it a standard approach in clinical laboratories.

The other options do not represent primary uses of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase within the context of clinical chemistry. Measuring blood pressure is associated with cardiovascular assessments, degrading mucopolysaccharides pertains to different enzymatic functions related to metabolic disorders, and catalyzing lactate conversion is associated with a different set of enzymes involved in the lactate metabolic pathway. Thus, the effective role of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in glucose assays highlights its significance in clinical diagnostics.