Evaluation of Anti-AFP Monoclonal Antibodies as Immunodiagnostic Reagents for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

항-AFP 단일클론 항체를 이용한 간암진단 효과의 검토

To check the possible application of our anti-AFP monocional antibodies (MAbs) as immunodiagnostic reagents for hepatocellular carcinoma, ELISA and immunohistochemical assay were performed on the sera and liver biopsy specimens from the patients of hepatocellular carcinoma and other non-malignant hepatic disease. By non-competitive ELISA using anti-AFP MAbs, the highest incidence of AFP value was found only in the sera of hepatocellular carcinoma patients, i.e., more than 54% of patients had serum AFP levels of more than 500 ng/mi. By immunoperoxidase and indirect immunofluorescence techniques, anti-AFP MAbs were found to react with cytoplasm of hepatoceliular carcinoma cells. However immunohistochemical reactIvity to AFP in hepatocellular carcinoma cells was lower than that in non-neoplastic liver cells adjacent to the hepatocellular carcinoma. From these results with the similar findings from other studies, we suggest that AFP antigen is appropriate in the diagnosis assay (ELISA) but is not by immunohistochemical detection.

항-AFP 단일 클론 항체를 생산한 다음, 이를 이용한 noncompetitive ELISA 방법으로 정상인과 간암 및 그 밖의 간질환 환자의 혈청내 AFP농도를 측정해 본 결과 간암진단 방법으로는 혈청 AFP농도 측정이 필수적임이 확인되었다. 또한 간암 및 그 밖의 간질환 환자의 조직에 대한 항-AFP-항체의 반응성을 immunperoxidase 방법과 indirect immunofluorescence 방법으로 검정해 본 결과, 간암조직세포 및 일부 간질환 조직세포에서 항-AFP-항체에 대해 양성반응을 나타내었다. 그러나 그 반응성의 정도는 간암조직세포에서 보다 간암조직 주위의 비신생 간세퐁서 더욱 높았다. 그러므로 간암 진단에 있어서 AFP항원을 면역조직화학적으로 검정하는 방법은 적합하지 않았다.