title: Proteinase-alpha 2 macroglobulin complexes are not increased in plasma of patients with cancer.
abstract: Alpha 2-macroglobulin, a major glycoprotein component of plasma, is unique in its capacity to bind and inhibit the proteolytic activities of all classes of proteinases. Since proteinases implicated in cancer dissemination (type-IV collagenase, plasminogen activator, cathepsins B) are normal constitutents of blood, we have explored the hypothesis that elevated tissue levels of activated proteinases bound to alpha 2M might be detected in plasma of patients with cancer. To test this premise, blood was collected from 149 subjects (33 healthy controls, 31 patients with infections and non-malignant diseases, 16 with myeloproliferative disease, 10 with gastrointestinal cancer, 7 with genito-urinary cancer, 16 with lung cancer, 14 with lymphoma, 11 with miscellaneous cancers and 11 with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and myeloma). Plasma was assayed for alpha 2M-proteinase complexes using a sandwich ELISA which employs a mouse monoclonal antibody (MAb) that binds to a neo-antigenic determinant on complexed alpha 2M and a rabbit polyclonal anti-native human alpha 2M antibody. The concentration of complexed alpha 2M in healthy controls was 14.2 +/- 9.8 micrograms/ml (mean +/- standard deviation). No significant differences in complexed alpha 2M were noted between normal and cancer groups (range 7.4-14.6 micrograms/ml). On the basis of these data, we propose that, in patients with cancer, activated proteinases are bound locally to inhibitors in the tissues and are not available to form complexes with plasma alpha 2M. An alternative explanation is that proteinases are not secreted in excess by cancer cells in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Northport, New York 11768.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zucker
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lysik
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Zarrabi
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Fiore
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Strickland
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012016:Reference Values; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins; D010450:Endopeptidases