-
Differentiation of Beign and Malignant Liver Diseases Using Lectin - reactive Alpha - fetoprotein
-
Woo Sik Jung, Mu Seon Chang, Seung U Sohn, Ki Su Han, Chang Jae Sohn, Byung Chul Yoo, Sang Jae Lee, Sill Moo Park, Young Joo Cha
-
J Korean Cancer Assoc. 1994;26(4):554-561.
-
-
-
Abstract
PDF
- Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is an oncofetal protein whose serum levels have been investigated for use as a diagnostic marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and other tumors. Unfortu- nately serum AFP concentrations of patients having small HCC or benign liver diseases such as chronic hepatitis or liver cirrhosis frequently overlap. Consequently a more specific marker to discriminate HCC from other benign liver diseases is desired. Although total serum AFP concentrations do not often correlate with presence of this diseases, AFP microheterogeneity may be more related to liver disease status. Human AFP carbo- hydrate chain heterogeneity has been investigated using a sensitive method based on lectin-af- finity electrophoresis and antibody-affinity blotting. In the presented study, AFP was differentiated in the serum of HCC and benign liver diseases with elevated serum AFP levels by AFP differentiation 'klt L' using lectin-affinity electrophoresis and antibody-affinity blotting and then 'kit L' was valued in the distinguishing between malignant and benign liver diseases. Twenty patients (10 HCC patients, 6 liver cirrhosis, 2 chronic active hepatitis, 2 acute viral hepatitis) with serum AFP concentrations over 100 ng/ml were included in this study. Serum specimen was diluted to 100 ng/ml of AFP level with a normal serum. Electrophoresis using lectin-containing agarose gel resulted in the separated migration of different types of AFP according to specific reactivities to lectin. Subsequently the AFP on the agarose gel was transferred onto anti-AFP antibody (equinei-coated nitrocellulose membrane using antibody- affinity blotting. It was then allowed to react with anti-AFP antibody (rabbit) and with peroxi- dase-labeled anti-rabbit IgG antibody (gout), forming an immunocomplex on the nitrocellulose membrane. The bands of sample AFP were thus stained by the tetrazolium method, distinguishing them from standard tumor-type AFP. The results were as following. 1) Only Ll band was detected in the serum of l0 patients with benign liver diseases 2) Ll band was detected in the serum of 10 patients with HCC and L3 band was also detected in the serum of 9 patients with HCC. Correlation of data with disease status suggests that the methods can greatly facilitate the discrimination between benign and malignant liver diaeases with elevated serum AFP levels. And then the further study is needed whether the methods is valuable in the conditions with the serum AFP level below 100 ng/mL
|