Usefulness of microheterogeneity of serum α 1-acidglycoprotein as a marker for alcohol abuse

Abstract

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin is considered to be the most sensitive and specific biological marker of alcohol abuse. However, in alcohol-dependent individuals, microheterogeneity is also found in other glycoproteins besides transferrin. In this study, we compared the appearance of microheterogeneity in serum transferrin and α 1-acidglycoprotein to clarify whether microheterogeneity of α 1-acidglycoprotein is a marker for alcohol abuse. Serum samples were obtained from alcohol-dependent individuals with and without liver disease (LD) and non-alcohol-dependent patients with LD. Microheterogeneity of serum transferrin and α 1-acidglycoprotein was determined by Western blotting. Microheterogeneity of transferrin and α 1-acidglycoprotein was detected, respectively, in 63.2% and 58.5% of patients with alcoholic LD. Microheterogeneity of transferrin was not detected in alcohol-dependent individuals without LD, whereas microheterogeneity of α 1-acidglycoprotein was detected in 42.9%. In non-alcohol-dependent patients with decompensated cirrhosis, microheterogeneity of transferrin and α 1-acidglycoprotein was detected, respectively, in 68.4% and 15.8%. In conclusion, microheterogeneity of serum α 1-acidglycoprotein may be a useful marker for chronic alcohol drinking.