title: Vitamin K contents in liver tissue of hepatocellular carcinoma patients.
abstract: Serum protein induced in vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA-II) is used as a tumor marker because it increases at a notably higher rate in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. To clarify the mechanism causing the elevation of serum PIVKA-II, we measured the contents of vitamins K1 (phylloquinone, PK) and K2 (menaquinone, MK) (MK-4, MK-5, MK-6, MK-7, MK-8, MK-9, MK-10) in liver tissue resected from 21 hepatic cancer patients (12 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and 9 patients with metastatic hepatic cancer), using HPLC combined with coulometric reduction and fluorometric detection. In the cancerous tissue of hepatocellular carcinoma patients, PK, MK-7, MK-8, and MK-10 were significantly lower than that found in the noncancerous tissue. Furthermore, MK-6, MK-7, MK-8, and MK-10 in the cancerous tissue of hepatocellular carcinoma patients were significantly lower than that in the cancerous tissue of metastatic hepatic cancer patients. These data suggested that one of the mechanisms of the elevation of serum PIVKA-II levels in hepatocellular carcinoma patients is a vitamin K deficiency in the local cancerous tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan. t-miya@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyakawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kajiwara
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shirahata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohsato
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000378:metabolism; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D010837:Vitamin K 1 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D011498:Protein Precursors; D014812:Vitamin K; C008208:acarboxyprothrombin; D010837:Vitamin K 1; D011516:Prothrombin