Liver collagen glucosyltransferase in experimental primary liver carcinoma.

Collagen glucosyltransferase activity (EC 2.4.1.66) was quantified in experimentally-induced liver carcinoma, murine schistosomiasis mansoni-induced liver fibrosis and compared to the level of enzyme activity in control liver samples. Enzyme activity in hepatoma and fibrotic tissues were 12 and 5 times the mean level of enzyme activity in the control liver tissue respectively. The level of enzyme activity in the hepatoma tissue was two times the level of enzyme activity found in the fibrotic tissue. The findings in this study provide the basis for the highly elevated serum values of this intracellular enzyme in experimentally-induced primary hepatocellular carcinoma or in human primary hepatoma. The enzyme activity may be increased in primary liver carcinoma to compensate for an increased rate of collagen synthesis.