Using serum peptidomics to discovery the diagnostic marker for different stage of ulcerative colitis

Pitfalls in complement analysis: A systematic literature review of assessing complement activation

Background

The complement system is an essential component of our innate defense and plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Assessment of complement activation is critical in monitoring both disease progression and response to therapy. Complement analysis requires accurate and standardized sampling and assay procedures, which has proven to be challenging.

Objective

We performed a systematic analysis of the current methods used to assess complement components and reviewed whether the identified studies performed their complement measurements according to the recommended practice regarding pre-analytical sample handling and assay technique. Results are supplemented with own data regarding the assessment of key complement biomarkers to illustrate the importance of accurate sampling and measuring of complement components.

Methods

A literature search using the Pubmed/MEDLINE database was performed focusing on studies measuring the key complement components C3, C5 and/or their split products and/or the soluble variant of the terminal C5b-9 complement complex (sTCC) in human blood samples that were published between February 2017 and February 2022. The identified studies were reviewed whether they had used the correct sample type and techniques for their analyses.

Results

A total of 92 out of 376 studies were selected for full-text analysis. Forty-five studies (49%) were identified as using the correct sample type and techniques for their complement analyses, while 25 studies (27%) did not use the correct sample type or technique. For 22 studies (24%), it was not specified which sample type was used.

Conclusion

A substantial part of the reviewed studies did not use the appropriate sample type for assessing complement activation or did not mention which sample type was used. This deviation from the standardized procedure can lead to misinterpretation of complement biomarker levels and hampers proper comparison of complement measurements between studies. Therefore, this study underlines the necessity of general guidelines for accurate and standardized complement analysis

Identification of Potential Peptide Marker(s) for Evaluating Pork Meat Freshness via Mass Spectrometry-Based Peptidomics during Storage under Different Temperatures

This study applied peptidomics to investigate potential biomarkers for evaluating pork-meat freshness. The spoilage time points of pork meat stored at −2, 4, 10, and 25 °C were defined by evaluating meat freshness indicators (color, total viable count, pH, and total volatile basic nitrogen). Peptide MVHMASKE was identified as a potential peptide marker via multivariate analysis. Pearson correlation revealed a negative correlation between intensity of MVHMASKE and total viable count/total volatile basic nitrogen. In addition, the correlation between peptide content and the change in pork-meat freshness was verified using real-life samples, and the content of MVHMASKE showed a significant decline during storage under 4 and 25 °C, correspondingly reflecting the change of pork meat from fresh to spoiled. This study provides favorable evidence to evaluate pork-meat freshness by monitoring the change of peptide MVHMASKE in content based on mass spectrometry-based peptidomics.