[Variations of the amount of sialic acids on hepatocellular carcinoma cell membrane].

Objective: To observe the change in the amount of sialic acids on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell membrane.
Methods: Surgical specimens of HCC and liver cirrhosis tissues were obtained from 28 patients to prepare carcinoma cell and hepatocyte suspensions by collagenase digestion. For assay of α2, 3 and α2, 6-sialic acids, the cells were suspended in the staining buffer containing either fluorescein isothiocyanate-Maackia amurensis lectin (FITC-MAL) or fluorescein isothiocyanate-Sambucus nigra bark lectin (FITC-SNA) and incubated for 1 h, respectively. Flow cytometric analysis was carried out to measure the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) on the cell surface.
Results: In both FITC-MAL- and FITC-SNA-incubated HCC cells, the MFI on the cell surface was greater than that of the hepatocytes.
Conclusion: Both of α2, 3 and α2, 6- sialic acids increases significantly on the hepatocyte membrane after the carcinomatous change.