Possible correlation between urinary muramidase (E.C.3.2.1.27) and oesophageal cancer

The diagnostic value of determination of low-mass enzymes in urine is very important, especially for early detection of some diseases. There are several investigations about lysozyme (muramidase, E.C.3.2. 1.27) and its correlation with some malignancies, but until now nothing has been reported about the lysozyme, and oesophageal cancer. This study was undertaken for determination of lysozyme concentration in urine of 32 oesophageal cancer patients to evaluate if this enzyme activity changes in oesophageal cancer used for detection of this cancer especially in its early stage. We used high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for determination of urinary muramidase after Sep-pac pre-purification of the samples. The mean results of lysozymuria in patients in comparison with the mean of enzyme activity in normal controls were statistically high (12.14+/-0.403 vs. 2.04+/-0.134, P