[Characteristics of the carbohydrate structure of alpha 2-macroglobulin in stomach cancer]

A comparative study was made for alpha 2M preparations obtained from plasma of patients with gastric carcinoma and healthy individuals. No significant differences were found in trypsin-binding activity of alpha 2M, in isoelectric focusing microheterogeneity and in binding with lectins of Limulus polyphemus hemolymph. The study of alpha 2M-phytohemagglutinin (PHA) binding in sera of patients with gastrointestinal carcinoma and healthy people revealed highly significant differences. The alpha 2M preparations from the gastric carcinoma patients had less affinity for PHA. The data suggest the existence of an abnormal carbohydrate structure of alpha 2M in gastric carcinoma patients.