Human Alpha Fetoprotein in Body Fluids

Abstract

SINcE Pedersen (1944) described bovine fetuin, a fetal serum protein absent in adult cattle serum, similar proteins have been observed in various mammals including man (Abelev et al., 1963;Gitlin and Boesman 1967;Hull et al., 1969; Tatarinov, 1964). The importance of alpha fetoprotein (AFP) in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma was first demonstrated in mice (Abelev et al., 1963) and then in man (Tatarinov, 1964). The relatively high incidence of primary liver cell carcinoma in the tropics including Nigeria (Berman, 1951;Higginson, 1956;Edington and Maclean, 1965; British Medical Journal, 1970) provides enough material for the study of this protein. It was therefore decided to find out whether AFP could be detected in other body fluids apart from serum.In rural hospitals where facilities for serological diagnosis are inadequate, the detection of AFP in a body fluid such as urine will facilitate the diagnosis of liver cell carcinoma. Furthermore the distribution of AFP in the various body fluids could be significant in elucidating its physiological role in normal and abnormal conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODSBody fluids.-Blood bile, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and meconium were obtained from 12 aborted fetuses, between 20 and 40 weeks gestation. Duodenal juice, rectal faeces, pericardial fluid, blood, bile and CSF were obtained from 20 neonates whose ages ranged from 1 hour to 1 month. Six AFP positive liver cell carcinoma patients and three AFP negative ones, aged between 24 years and 50 years, were also included. There were five pregnant women dying from various diseases. These provided the amniotic fluid and breast milk as well as some of Request for reprints should be directed to Dr. J. A. Smith.

Biological Roles of Alpha-Fetoprotein During Pregnancy and Perinatal Development

“…The detection of AFP in human pregnancy urine was first described by Smith and co-workers in 1971 (48); AFP was detected in the urine of hepatoma patients in that same year (49). Due to the lack of sensitive immunoassays, the samples were scored as positive only for highly concentrated urine specimens; however, AFP mass values were still considerably lower than in serum.…”

Immunomodulatory impact of α-fetoprotein

“…In HCC, elevated AFP synthesis in the tumor correlates with larger tumor size, differentiation stage, and inferior survival in HCC patients [4]. The speculation that AFP might function to prevent antifetal or antitumor immune responses has paved the way for numerous studies focusing on the roles of both nAFP and tAFP and their effects on a variety of immune cell types (Figure 1) [5]. Indeed, previous work has examined the immunosuppressive properties of AFP in pregnancy (Box 1), autoimmunity (Box 2), and cancer.…”

Cerebrospinal fluid ferritin in patients with central nervous system tumors.

“…) and ƒÀ 2-microglobulin in CNS leukemia and lymphoma (Mavligit et al 1980;Sato et al 1983 (Fleisher et al 1958;Green et al 1959;Jakoby and Jakoby, 1958), polyamine (Marton et al 1974) and a-fetoprotein (Smith et al 1971) are present in the CSF, the clinical importance of these markers in the diagnosis of CNS tumors has not been considered.…”