High serum glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase levels in patients with liver cirrhosis.

We have developed a mouse monoclonal antibody against glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and established a form of semi-quantitative latex particle aggregation as a first-screening technique for determining serum levels of GAPDH. Focusing on chronic liver diseases, we measured serum GAPDH in 213 patients to clarify its clinical significance. Serum GAPDH levels were similar in healthy control subjects, patients who were hepatitis B or C virus carriers, or with chronic hepatitis. However, the levels were significantly increased in patients with cirrhosis (P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma and a high gamma-globulin level were closely associated with high GAPDH levels (P=0.006 and 0.011, respectively). Elevated serum GAPDH was also confirmed in a patient with cirrhosis associated with hepatocellular carcinoma using Western blotting analysis. The mechanism(s) of serum GAPDH elevation remains unclear, but one possible source is increased leakage of the GAPDH molecule into the serum from damaged cirrhotic hepatocytes underlying hepatocarcinogenesis or chronic inflammation.