title: LecT-Hepa, a glyco-marker derived from multiple lectins, as a predictor of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C patients.
abstract: Assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is critical for predicting disease progression and determining future antiviral therapy. LecT-Hepa, a new glyco-marker derived from fibrosis-related glyco-alteration of serum alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, was used to differentiate cirrhosis from chronic hepatitis in a single-center study. Herein, we aimed to validate this new glyco-marker for estimating liver fibrosis in a multicenter study. Overall, 183 CHC patients were recruited from 5 liver centers. The parameters Aspergillus oryzae lectin (AOL) / Dature stramonium lectin (DSA) and Maackia amurensis lectin (MAL)/DSA were measured using a bedside clinical chemistry analyzer in order to calculate LecT-Hepa levels. The data were compared with those of seven other noninvasive biochemical markers and tests (hyaluronic acid, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteases-1, platelet count, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index [APRI], Forns index, Fib-4 index, and Zeng's score) for assessing liver fibrosis using the receiver-operating characteristic curve. LecT-Hepa correlated well with the fibrosis stage as determined by liver biopsy. The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of LecT-Hepa were 0.802, 59.6%, and 89.9%, respectively, for significant fibrosis; 0.882, 83.3%, and 80.0%, respectively, for severe fibrosis; and 0.929, 84.6%, and 88.5%, respectively, for cirrhosis. AUC scores of LecT-Hepa at each fibrosis stage were greater than those of the seven aforementioned noninvasive tests and markers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The efficacy of LecT-Hepa, a glyco-marker developed using glycoproteomics, for estimating liver fibrosis was demonstrated in a multicenter study. LecT-Hepa given by a combination of the two glyco-parameters is a reliable method for determining the fibrosis stage and is a potential substitute for liver biopsy.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Hepatitis and Immunology, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Ichikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyoaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuno
authors.forename: Yuzuru
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikehara
authors.forename: Masaya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Teppei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korenaga
authors.forename: Kazumoto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Naohiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Masaki
authors.forename: Yasuhito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hige
authors.forename: Namiki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Izumi
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurosaki
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishiguchi
authors.forename: Michiie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kage
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Narimatsu
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mizokami
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D037102:Lectins / Q000097:blood; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000821:virology*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009961:Orosomucoid; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006023:Glycoproteins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D037102:Lectins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009961:Orosomucoid; C068675:CNMD protein, human; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases