Abstract
Aim. The study was to investigate the metabolic profile of urine metabolites and to elucidate their clinical significance in patients with colorectal cancer. Methods. Colorectal cancers from early stage and advanced stage were used in this study. Urine samples of colorectal cancer patients and healthy adults were collected and subjected to capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry based on moving reaction boundary analysis. The metabolic data were analyzed by SPSS 17.0 to find urinary biomarkers for colorectal cancer. Results. The results indicated that the urine metabolic profiling of colorectal cancer patients had significant changes compared with the normal controls, and there were also differences between early stage and advanced colorectal cancer patients. Compared with the control group, the levels of isoleucine, valine, arginine, lactate acid and leucine increased (P < 0.05), but those of histidine, methionine, serine, aspartic acid, citric acid, succinate, and malic acid decreased in urine samples from colorectal cancer (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the levels of isoleucine and valine were lower in urine of patients with advanced colorectal cancer than those in early stage colorectal cancer (P < 0.05). Conclusion. The technique of capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry based on MRB could reveal the significant metabolic alterations during progression of colorectal cancer, and the method is feasible and may be useful for the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.
Highlights
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies and a leading cause of cancer-associated death worldwide, especially in Europe and the United States [1,2,3]
Urine samples of colorectal cancer patients and healthy adults were collected and subjected to capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry based on moving reaction boundary analysis
We found the lower levels of citric acid, malic acid, and succinate in the CRC urine specimens, which are most likely related to the deregulation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the increased demand for energy in tumors [20, 28]
Summary
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies and a leading cause of cancer-associated death worldwide, especially in Europe and the United States [1,2,3]. The incidence rate of colorectal cancer has been increasing with lifestyle changes [4]. Though colorectal cancer is so common, we do not have effective treatment to cure it. It is of significance to make a prediction about the oncogenesis and metastasis at the early stage of colorectal cancer in order to improve the prognosis. We do not have effective measures to diagnose colorectal cancer at the time when the disease occurred as soon as possible for they have no specific clinical symptoms until in the late stage. The most effective screening method for precancerous lesions and cancer morbidity in colon (e.g., aberrant crypt foci, polyps, and tumors) is colonoscopy [7]. Many researchers are trying to find novel biomarkers for the early detection of colorectal cancer
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