Background & objective: Hepatoma-specific gamma- glutamyltransferase isoenzyme II(GGT-II) is considered as the best hepatoma marker except alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), but there is no simple and easy method to determine it now. The purpose of this study was to explore the value of detection of GGT-II by dot-ELISA with monoclonal antibody in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods: GGT-II was purified and then BALB/c mouse was immunized. The monoclonal antibody against GGT-II was raised by the hybridoma technique. Serum GGT-II was detected in 123 cases with hepatocellular carcinoma and 164 cases with various benign liver diseases using both dot-ELISA and electrophoresis simultaneously.
Results: The positive rate of serum GGT-II in HCC by dot-ELISA was 71.5%, which was not significantly different from that by electrophoresis (76.4%). However, the false positive rates of GGT-II by dot-ELISA in liver cirrhosis (23.7%) and chronic hepatitis (27.1%) were significantly higher than those by electrophoresis (10.0% and 8.4% for liver cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis, respectively).
Conclusion: Detection of GGT-II by dot-ELISA with monoclonal antibody is helpful for the diagnosis of HCC, but its diagnostic specificity deserves to be improved.