Analysis of the characteristics of microheterogeneity of various serum glycoproteins in chronic alcoholics.

It has been reported that microheterogeneity of serum glycoproteins including transferrin is found in alcoholic liver disease. In the present study, microheterogeneity of serum glycoproteins in alcoholic liver disease patients was analysed using the Western blotting technique after isoelectric focusing. Microheterogeneity was found for serum alpha 1-antitrypsin, alpha 2-macroglobulin, caeruloplasmin, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein and hemopexin as well as transferrin. Microheterogeneity disappeared following treatment with sialidase in some but not all glycoproteins. In hemopexin, microheterogeneity was recognized only after treatment with sialidase. These results suggest that mechanisms of microheterogeneity of serum glycoproteins in alcoholic liver disease may vary. One mechanism may be the interference of glycosylation of glycoproteins in the Golgi apparatus, and another may be the decrease of asialo-protein receptors in hepatocytes.