Identification of circulating protein biomarkers in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma concomitantly infected with chronic hepatitis C virus

Context: The incidence rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is higher in developing countries, and most cases are associated with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Objective: To evaluate the circulating proteins as liver biomarkers for the identification of HCC associated with HCV infection in Egyptian patients using LC-MS/MS analysis. Methods: Blood sera were collected from 31 HCC patients and the fractionated proteins were subjected to LC-MS/MS analysis. Protein candidates were validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Thirty-three proteins were significantly identified in the sera of HCC patients with persistent HCV infection. These proteins are involved in several biological processes including acute phase response, complement activation, hemostasis process and lipid metabolism. The level of lectin galactoside-binding soluble 3 binding protein (LGALS3BP), Kininogen-1 (KNG1), serum amyloid A2 (SAA2) and paraoxonase 1 (PON1) and alpha-fetoprtoein (AFP) were elevated in serum. Conclusion: In HCC patients with chronic HCV infection, we identified a group of differentially expressed circulating proteins involved in regulating different cellular mechanisms.