Blb-NRF2-PON1 Cross-Talk in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Progression

The progression of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an important issue, especially as AAA is becoming more common, and potentially life-threatening. This study aimed to understand better the mechanisms underlying AAA progression. For this purpose, we have focused on assessing the selected biomarkers whose potentially common denominator is the NRF2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2) transcription factor, that determines the selected antioxidant enzymes' activation. The study group consisted of 44 AAA male patients (71.41 ± 7.80 years aged). They were divided into three groups based on the aneurism diameter: group I (below 55 mm), group II (between 55 and 70 mm), and group III (over 70 mm). The laboratory analyses of PON1 (paraoxonase-1), NRF2, and HO-1 (heme oxygenase 1) were performed based on commercial ELISA tests; Blb (bilirubin) and hsCRP (high sensitivity C-reactive protein) were assessed during routine morphology examinations after admission to the hospital. Multiple linear regression showed that both bilirubin and NRF2 determined the PON1 concentration in the entire study group. The correlations between the examined parameters within the three studied groups suggest the capitulation of NRF2-dependent antioxidant mechanisms to pro-inflammatory processes. We showed that HO-1 and hsCRP may play a crucial role in the development of inflammation aneurism progression. Moreover, in patients with medium-sized aneurysms, antioxidant mechanisms were depressed, and inflammatory processes began to dominate, which may lead to uncontrolled growth aneurysm rupture. Our study is one of the first to indicate that the chronically activated antioxidant pathway using NRF2 may be a source of reduction stress.

RS4673 and pon1 level in blood plasma - new prospects in prediction and early diagnostics of anthracycline-mediated cardiotoxicity

The purpose of this study was to research the effectiveness of molecular genetic tests based on the determination of the rs4673 CYBA polymorphism (c.242C>T) and the level of paraoxonase 1 (PON1) in the blood plasma of patients with breast cancer (BC) for predicting and diagnosing anthracycline-mediated cardiotoxicity (AMC). The genotyping of rs4673 CYBA (c.242C>T) and the study of the PON1 level in the blood plasma of 280 patients of the Caucasian type with a histologically verified diagnosis of breast cancer, who received complex treatment on the basis of the National Medical Research Center of Oncology, were carried out. Based on the results of observation for at least 8 months, two groups were identified: group 1 (257 people) without diagnosed cardiovascular changes; group 2 (23 people) - patients with subacute and early chronic AMC. It was found that carriers of the rs4673 polymorphism increase the likelihood of developing AMC by 6.8 times (p = 0.001). In the blood plasma of both groups of patients, an increase in the level of PON1 was described after the fourth course compared to the initial level (group 1 - p = 0.036, group 2 - p = 0.048). The level of the studied enzyme was higher in the blood plasma of patients with diagnosed AMC compared with patients without cardiovascular complications (before chemotherapy - p = 0.001, after the fourth course - p = 0.023). The test based on the measurement of the concentration of PON1 in the blood plasma of patients after the fourth course of chemotherapy was distinguished by high quality metrics: sensitivity - 100%, specificity - 70.8%, area under the ROC-curve (AUC) - 0.825 with a threshold level of PON1 equal to 2, 9 ng/μL. The presence of the T/T genotype caused a high level of PON1 in the blood plasma after the fourth course of chemotherapy (p = 0.012). The results of our work are of undoubted practical importance, since they allow us to obtain data on the prognosis and diagnosis of a patient in a short time, which can later be verified using clinical and instrumental methods.