Serum pregnancy‐associated α₂‐glycoprotein levels in the evolution of Hepatitis B virus infection

Abstract

Serum pregnancy-associated alpha 2-glycoprotein (alpha 2-PAG) levels were evaluated in a follow-up study of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and compared with biochemical and virological parameters. In a study of 25 patients with acute hepatitis, an association was found between high alpha 2-PAG values, ALT levels, and HBsAg in 20 patients (80%) (P less than 0.05), 18 recovered completely, and 2 had a protracted course. In five patients serum alpha 2-PAG levels were similar to those in the control group. On the other hand, eight (100%) chronic persistent HBV patients showed high levels of alpha 2-PAG (P less than 0.05) during the study period, and these levels correlated well with inflammatory activity and failure of HBsAg elimination. There were no significant differences in alpha 2-PAG values between asymptomatic HBsAg carriers and controls. Serial analysis of alpha 2-PAG, in correlation with viral markers, biochemical parameters, and histological data, would contribute to the ability to predict the final outcome of HBV infection.

Human pregnancy zone protein stabilizes misfolded proteins including preeclampsia- and Alzheimer’s-associated amyloid beta peptide

“…Furthermore, both α 2 M and PZP are found to be colocalized with Aβ in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease (53, 54). It is not yet known if the elevated levels of PZP measured in women with presymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease are the consequence of a general innate immune system response, since PZP levels are reported to be elevated in several other inflammatory states including rheumatoid arthritis (55), Behçet’s syndrome (56), psoriasis (57, 58), Chagas disease (59), and viral infection (60, 61). Nevertheless, the available data strongly suggest that both α 2 M and PZP are likely to participate in Aβ homeostasis in vivo.…”

Major trace elements and their binding proteins in the early phase of Covid-19 infection

“…An increase in PZP may occur in inflammatory diseases, and in HIV-1-positive persons, it was determined to be 125 ± 65 µg/mL, i.e., on average up to 0.2 g/L [35]. Similar concentration was measured in patients with hepatitis B [36]. On the other hand, in the work of Tian et al [37], immune suppression was reported in the early stage in Covid-19 patients accompanied by down-regulation of a number of proteins, including PZP-like alpha-2-macroglobulin domain-containing protein 8.…”

Alpha-2-Macroglobulin, a Hypochlorite-Regulated Chaperone and Immune System Modulator

“…Similarly, several neurotrophins are shared ligands of PZP and α 2 M, but the precise biological importance of these interactions is not known [12]. Pregnancy-independent expression of PZP is widely reported in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease [83, 84], Parkinson's disease [85], rheumatoid arthritis [86], Behcet's syndrome [87], psoriasis [88, 89], Chagas disease [90], viral infection [91, 92], inflammatory bowel disease [93], and cancers [94, 95]. The latter observations support the idea that the upregulation of PZP could be a general stress response that is related to chronic inflammation.…”