DATURA-STRAMONIUM AGGLUTININ-REACTIVE ALPHA-FETOPROTEIN ISOFORMS IN HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA AND OTHER TUMORS

By means of Datura stramonium agglutinin (DSA) affinity electrophoresis, human a-fetoprotein (AFP) was resolved into five bands, AFP-D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5, in order of decreasing mobility. AFP-D1, which had no affinity for DSA, comprised more than 84% of the intensity of total AFP bands. The percentage of AFP-D2 increased marginally in hepatitis and liver cirrhosis with or without hepatocellular carcinoma. AFP-D3 increased characteristically in hepatocellular carcinoma and AFP-D4, which had the highest affinity for DSA, increased up to 12% in other tumors, mostly of gastrointestinal origin. AFP-D5 showed no consistent changes among the benign and malignant diseases. The assay of AFP- D3 and D4 proved useful as a highly specific marker of hapatocellular carcinoma and other tumors, respectively. © 1990 S. Karger AG, Basel.