Sialyl salivary-type amylase associated with ovarian cancer

Takanori Moriyama

doi:10.1016/j.cca.2008.01.025

Abstract

BackgroundThere have been many reports describing hyperamylasemia, with a salivary-type amylase phenotype, in patients with malignant tumors and/or multiple myelomas. In contrast, we have discovered and characterized a sialyl salivary-type amylase from multiple myeloma and/or lung cancer cells. This paper reports the first association of sialyl salivary-type amylase with ovarian cancer, discovered and characterized using sera from retrospective studies. MethodsBased on strictly retrospective observation of amylase zymograms, three samples of patients' sera with abnormally fast-migrating isoamylases were detected. Sialyl salivary-type amylase was determined by neuraminidase treatment and reaction with anti-salivary monoclonal antibody, and the extra elution peak of amylase was detected by size-exclusion HPLC analysis. ResultsSialyl salivary-type amylase was detected in the sera of three female patients with ovarian cancer. The ratio of S3 to S2 sub-band in isoamylase electrophoresis, was slightly over 1.00 in two cases and below 1.00 in the other. These cases were not recognized in routine isoamylase electrophoretic analyses, because the abnormal patterns were weak. ConclusionSialyl salivary-type amylase was characterized for the first time in the sera of patients with ovarian cancer.

Highlights

A sample with a normal amylase isoenzyme electrophoretic pattern was used as control in the analyses of neuraminidase treatment, reaction with anti-salivary monoclonal antibody, and size-exclusion High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
Three specimens came from female patients, and afterward it was found out that they had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer based on medical histories
It was considered that the S3 sub-bands were obviously dominant over the S2 sub-band in previous cases of multiple myeloma [25, 26]; this was less pronounced in the cases here

Summary

Introduction

Sudo and Kanno [24] reported so-called sialic-acid-containing amylase in the sera of patients with lung and pancreatic cancer. It was detected in the sera of patients with IgA-type [25] and IgD-type multiple myeloma [26], and identified to be sialyl salivarytype amylase by electrophoretic study with neuraminidase treatment and immunological characterization [26]. In 2008, the author reported that the characterization of sialyl salivary-type amylase associated with ovarian cancer using conserved sera that were obtained from a retrospective study of amylase zymograms [29].

Methods

Results

Conclusion