title: Levels of serum cathepsin L and several glycosidases in patients operated for colorectal cancer.
abstract: The activities of several glycosidases and cathepsin L were determined in the blood serum of a control group of ten healthy humans in comparison with a group (group I: 32 subjects) of preoperative colorectal cancer patients (1 week before surgical exeresis) and with another two groups: group II, comprising 18 operated subjects (1 week after surgery), and group III, of 15 operated subjects (4 months after surgery). All subjects were 48-88 years old. Both 'enzyme activity' and 'specific activity' determinations of serum beta-galactosidase, alpha-L-fucosidase and cathepsin L revealed peculiar profiles that differed from one another. Control values differed from those of some stages of the pathological groups, but not of others. These values were compared also with the levels of total, lipid- and glycoprotein-associated serum sialic acid. The usefulness of some assays (especially cathepsin L activity measurement) in the follow-up of the health status of humans operated for colorectal cancer is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquimica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Biología, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Martín
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cabezas
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: García-Criado
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pina
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gómez-Alonso
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood; D056668:Cathepsin L; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000097:blood*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000201:enzymology; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D010450:Endopeptidases; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000097:blood; D005644:alpha-L-Fucosidase / Q000097:blood*; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D012794:Sialic Acids; D001616:beta-Galactosidase; D005644:alpha-L-Fucosidase; D002403:Cathepsins; D010450:Endopeptidases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; C534281:CTSL protein, human; D056668:Cathepsin L