Detection of ganglioside GM2 in sera and tumor tissues of hepatoma patients.

GM2 ganglioside was detected in all five sera of hepatoma patients analyzed by thin-layer chromatography in conjunction with enzyme-immunostaining with rabbit anti-GM2 antibody and horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-rabbit IgG, and was quantitated by densitometry. The GM2 contents of these sera were 20 to 100 times higher than those of sera from normal adults. By the method used, an increased GM2 level could be detected with samples of less than 0.1 ml of sera from hepatoma patients. The elevated levels of serum GM2 in hepatoma patients were suggested to be due to elevated GM2 levels in the liver lesions, because the GM2 contents of the liver of five patients with liver cancer, including three with hepatoma, were higher than those of normal liver tissues.