title: Increased serum levels of the carrier molecules of the carbohydrate antigen sialyl Lewis X in liver diseases.
abstract: The serum levels of the carbohydrate antigen sialyl Lewis X (SLEX) increase in liver diseases (Sunayama T, Okada Y, Tsuji T., J Hepatol 1994; 19: 451-458). However, it is not known whether the increased serum SLEX levels are associated with the increased levels of its carrier molecules and/or the increased density of SLEX per carrier molecule. By using of rabbit antibody against an SLEX-positive fraction from HepG2 culture supernatant, we developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine the serum levels of the carrier molecules of SLEX (CMSLEX). The CMSLEX-levels in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were significantly higher than those of normal controls (P < 0.001) and benign chronic liver diseases, i.e., chronic active hepatitis, mild and severe form, and liver cirrhosis (P < 0.05). Patients with chronic persistent hepatitis and chronic active hepatitis, mild form, had higher CMSLEX-levels than normal controls (P < 0.05). The serum CMSLEX-levels did not differ significantly among benign liver diseases. We concluded that serum CMSLEX-levels increase nonspecifically in liver diseases. This is a possible molecular mechanism for the increased serum SLEX levels in liver diseases.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016256:Lewis X Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008970:Molecular Weight
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D016256:Lewis X Antigen