Increased plasma alpha (1 --> 3)-L-fucosyltransferase activities in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Alpha (1 --> 3)-L-fucosyltransferase (alpha 1,3FT) activity was determined in plasma of patients with chronic liver diseases, namely, chronic hepatitis (CH), liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), The plasma alpha 1,3FT activity was significantly higher (p < 0.01) in chronic liver diseases than that in normal controls. The enzyme activity in plasma of patients with HCC was also significantly higher than that in LC (p < 0.05) or that in CH (p < 0.01). However, no significant difference was observed in the enzyme activity between LC and CH. Plasma alpha 1,3FT activity in patients with HCC was not significantly changed before and after transcatheter arterial embolization. In addition, the enzyme activity in the homogenate of the cirrhotic liver tissue was higher than that in the preparation of the hepatoma tissue in the same patient. These results suggest that the increased plasma alpha 1,3FT activity in patients with HCC reflects mainly the enzyme activity of cirrhotic liver tissue, not that of hepatoma tissue. The significance of the elevated levels of plasma alpha 1,3FT and its decreased hepatoma tissue activity in patients with HCC, compared with that in LC, remains to be clarified.