The value of serum GPDA-F for the diagnosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the role of glycylproline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase isoenzymes in the diagnosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC).


METHODS
We developed a stage gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system to separate serum GPDA isoenzymes. Total GPDA activities, alpha-fetoprotein, the sizes of tumors and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities were also measured simultaneously and the correlation between GPDA-F and these indices was analyzed.


RESULTS
Serum GPDA was separated into two bands, namely fast band (GPDA-F) and slow band (GPDA-S). GPDA-F was negative in all healthy persons as well as in the patients with benign liver filling defects, while it was positive in 85.3% cases of PHC. Liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, extrahepatic carcinoma and metastatic liver carcinoma had low positive rates. GPDA-F was positively correlated with serum total GPDA activities, but had no correlation with AFP and size of the tumors. There was the correlation between GPDA-F and ALT in benign liver diseases, but no correlation between GPDA-F and ALT in PHC. Serial measurements of serum GPDA-F showed that GPDA-F was persistently positive in PHC but might change into negative in benign liver diseases. Dynamic determination of GPDA-F might be helpful to differentiate true positive of PHC from false positive of benign liver diseases.


CONCLUSIONS
GPDA-F is a new serum marker of PHC. Measurement of serum GPDA-F is of value for the diagnosis of PHC, especially for those at early stage or with negative AFP.
Li
M
M
Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong Medical College, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001, China.
Ni
R
R
Huang
J
J
Xiao
M
M
Zhang
H
H
Wei
Q
Q
Jiang
F
F
Meng
X
X
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000626:Aminopeptidases / Q000097:blood*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000097:blood*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000201:enzymology
D007527:Isoenzymes; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000626:Aminopeptidases; C018085:glycylproline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase