IMMUNOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF EPITHELIAL MEMBRANE ANTIGEN IN CASE OF HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 R&D Dept., Biotechnology Research Center, New Damietta City, Egypt.

2 Chemistry Dept., Faculty of Science,Mansoura Universty, Egypt.

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequent
malignant tumors in clinics. It is quite necessary and important to
explore new approaches for early prognosis of HCC. The present
study aimed to study the immunological and biochemical
characterization of an epithelial membrane antigen associated with
HCC. Serum samples from HCC patients (n=80) undergoing surgery
and 20 serum samples from healthy individuals served as normal
controls were used. The target epithelial membrane antigen (EMA)
was purified from sera of HCC patients using electroelution technique
and has been characterized. The purified EMA was characterized to be
glycoprotein with molecular weight 130 kDa. Also, EMA was
quantified in serum samples of 80 patients that were
histopathologically proven to have HCC using ELISA. There was a
highly significant difference between the value of EMA in HCC
patients (8.9 ± 6.8 μg/ml) and that of normal individuals (1.6 ± 1.0
μg/ml) at (P < 0.0001). Accordingly, the estimation of serum EMA
can be considered as a prognostic test for HCC.

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