title: Lysosomal cathepsins B and L and Stefin A blood levels in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and/or liver cirrhosis: potential clinical implications.
abstract: The serum levels of lysosomal cathepsin B and L and Stefin A, an intracellular inhibitor of these proteolytic enzymes, were determined in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and/or liver cirrhosis (LC) and correlated with some clinical and biochemical parameters of these diseases. Cathepsin B serum levels were increased in HCC and in LC patients as compared to normal subjects (p < 0.001). However no difference was observed between HCC and LC groups. Interestingly, a significant relationship was evidenced between cathepsin B serum content and the grade of severity of cirrhosis (r = 0.41; p < 0.001). Cathepsin L was significantly elevated only in sera of cancer patients as compared to normal subjects or LC patients (p < 0.001) and significantly correlated with the number of malignant lesions (r = 0.49; p = 0.001). Stefin A serum levels were increased in HCC and LC patients as compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.02). However, these levels were significantly higher in the LC group as compared to the HCC group (p < 0.05). In cancer patients, a significant relationship was observed between Stefin A serum content and tumor size (r = 0.35; p < 0.05), number of neoplastic lesions (r = 0.556; p < 0.001) and serum alpha-fetoprotein (r = 0.38; p < 0.01). These data suggest that cathepsin B and L and Stefin A may be potentially useful as additional biochemical parameters to monitor the therapeutic response of these diseases to clinical treatments and to identify patients with cirrhosis developing precancerous lesions.
authors.affiliation: Section of Chemotherapy, School of Medicine, University of Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leto
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Tumminello
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pizzolanti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Montalto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soresi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gebbia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology*; D002401:Cathepsin B / Q000097:blood*; D056668:Cathepsin L; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000097:blood*; D055312:Cystatin A; D015891:Cystatins / Q000097:blood*; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000097:blood*; D010450:Endopeptidases; D004792:Enzyme Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology*; D008247:Lysosomes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D055312:Cystatin A; D015891:Cystatins; D004792:Enzyme Precursors; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; C026407:CSTA protein, human; D002403:Cathepsins; D010450:Endopeptidases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D002401:Cathepsin B; C534281:CTSL protein, human; D056668:Cathepsin L