Abstract
Zinc alpha-2-glycoprotien (ZAG) binding peptide is a multi-functional protein, which is structurally similar to a major histocompatibility complex class I. It has been discovered as a novel adipokine enhancing lipolysis and influencing other physiological processes such as sperm mobility and melanin production. Furthermore, ZAG level has been correlated to a variety of diseases such as atherosclerosis and diabetes type II with a potential use as a tumor biomarker in future. In this study, we aim to investigate the prevalence of ZAG among healthy blood donors attending to the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital blood bank and correlate it with their age and sex. The ZAG levels analysis of the sera from 106 (49 females and 57 males) apparently healthy donors from different regions was carried out using a competitive type of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Abnova GmbH-Germany). Analysis was mainly based on two parameters; age and sex. Out of the 106 subjects, 78% of blood donors have high ZAG levels (>35 ng/ml), 13% have a normal level (20 to 35 ng/ml) while 9% have a level lower than 20 ng/ml. A significant association was found between ZAG level and sex (P = 0.012) with males showing low levels. Although high ZAG level was correlated between age and ZAG levels in the female group, higher levels were also found in donors below and above 22 years old (P = 0.0099). The prevalence of ZAG levels in blood donors was found to be high, especially in those between 20 to 30 years old. This emphasizes the measurement of ZAG level prior to blood transfusion to patient(s) who are clinical under weight. Gender and age significantly influences the plasma level of ZAG. Key words: Zinc alpha-2-glycoprotien (ZAG), Oman, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), blood donation.
Highlights
Zinc-α-2-glycoprotein (ZAG) binding peptide is a 43 kDa soluble protein which plays multiple roles in human (Stejskal et al, 2008)
Out of the 106 donors, 20.4% of female donors were within the normal range of Zinc alpha-2-glycoprotien (ZAG) binding peptide level, while this percentage fell to 7% in male participants
Chi-square test showed a significant association between ZAG level and sex (p = 0.012) with 99.9% level of confidence
Summary
Zinc-α-2-glycoprotein (ZAG) binding peptide is a 43 kDa soluble protein which plays multiple roles in human (Stejskal et al, 2008). The ZAG binding peptide normally produced by the epithelial cells in several tissues including the liver, adipose tissue, sweat glands, breast and the gastrointestinal tract, so that it can be found in various body fluids such as the plasma, semen, sweat, milk and the cerebrospinal fluid (Hassan et al, 2008a). The plasma concentration of ZAG binding peptide is affected by several factors including the body weight and the health status but a range between 20 to 35 ng/ml is considered normal. Its structure has been found to be similar to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class I (Stejskal et al, 2008) Both molecules share the basic three alpha chains (α1, α2, α3) structure in the same arrangement with the binding groove formed between α1 and α2. Α3 chain in ZAG binding peptide molecule does not bind to
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