Non-specific increase of serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 in patients with liver disease associated with increased circulating levels of adhesion molecules.
Sialyl-Lewisa antigen (SLe(a)), the immune determinant of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9), is the ligand of E-selectin. To verify the possibility of an association between nonspecific elevation of CA 19-9 and adhesion molecules, sera from 12 patients with acute hepatitis, 55 with non-cirrhotic chronic liver disease, 33 with cirrhosis and 25 with hepatocellular carcinoma, were tested for common liver function tests. Besides, CA 19-9 and soluble forms of E-selectin, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 were measured immunoenzymatically. One-way analysis of variance demonstrated that mean CA 19-9 concentration differed among groups (F 15.27, P < 0.0001) with the highest values found in patients with acute hepatitis. By univariate analysis, the strongest correlation of CA 19-9 was with soluble ICAM-1, which by stepwise multiple regression analysis was the only independent predictor of elevated CA 19-9 (multiple R 0.560). The association between ICAM-1 and CA 19-9 might originate in the biliary cells where they might be simultaneously overexpressed during inflammatory processes.
Fabris
C
C
Department of Experimental and Clinical Pathology and Medicine, University of Udine, Italy.
Falleti
E
E
Pirisi
M
M
Soardo
G
G
Toniutto
P
P
Vitulli
D
D
Bortolotti
N
N
Gonano
F
F
Bartoli
E
E
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis
D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules