Glycosylation change of alpha-1-acid glycoprotein as a serum biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis

Aim: This research is to explore the glycosylation change of alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cirrhosis and controls. Methods: The affinity chromatography and lectin affinity techniques were used to separate and enrich glycosylated AGP, and combined with mass spectrometry to identify and relatively quantify the glycopeptides from AGP. Results: The sialylation and fucosylation of AGP were different among HCC, cirrhosis and controls. The highly sialylated and fucosylated peptides from AGP were found in HCC and cirrhosis compared with controls. These glycopeptides showed excellent diagnostic ability to differentiate HCC from cirrhosis ( area under the curve >0.9). In addition, these glycopeptides showed significantly different among four HCC stages. Conclusion: The sialylation and fucosylation change of AGP may serve as serum biomarker for HCC and cirrhosis.