An evaluation of the differences in the glycosylation of alpha-fetoprotein between hepatitis and liver cirrhosis by lectin-ELISA

Abstract

The level of serum glycoproteins and their glycosylation pattern change in liver diseases including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Some of them specially alpha fetoprotein (AFP) serves as useful biomarkers for HCC. To search for an effective biomarker for differential diagnosis of liver diseases monitoring of AFP concentration as well as its glycosylation change has been considered. Serum AFP level in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV-CH), hepatitis B induced liver cirrhosis (HBV-LC), hepatitis C induced liver cirrhosis (HCV-LC), and alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC) patients along with sex and age-matched healthy individuals was measured by ELISA using monoclonal anti-human AFP (mAb-AFP). AFP level among different groups of patients was highest in ALC and was found to be lowest in HBV-CH. Fucosylation and distribution of sialic acid linkage was determined by ELISA using Aleuria aurantia lectin, Maackia amurensis (MAA) and Sambucus nigra (SNA) agglutinins respectively. The differential expression of sialic acid linkage was observed in HBV-CH and HCV-LC; the former bound strongly with SNA which has exclusive binding specificity for NeuAc a 2,6-whereas HCV-LC reacted preferably with MAA which recognizes NeuAc a 2,3-. It was observed that the level of fucosylation was highest in HCV-LC and lowest in HBV-CH. The alteration in antennary glycan chains was evaluated by concanavalin A (ConA) which showed no significant change among different patient groups except HBV-LC. Thus it may be concluded that AFP is the most recognized serum glycoprotein in differential diagnosis of liver diseases.

Keywords

Alpha fetoprotein; Fucosylation; Hepatitis; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver cirrhosis

Published in

Trends in Carbohydrate Research
2011, volume: 3, number: 3, pages: 13-20

SLU Authors

• Chatterjee, Urmimala

  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/132350