Combined detection of IL-6 and IL-8 is beneficial to the diagnosis of early stage esophageal squamous cell cancer: a preliminary study based on the screening of serum markers using protein chips

Chemokines and Their Receptors: Predictors of Therapeutic Potential in Tumor Microenvironment on Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) is an aggressive solid tumor. The 5-year survival rate for patients with ESCA is estimated to be less than 20%, mainly due to tumor invasion and metastasis. Therefore, it is urgent to improve early diagnostic tools and effective treatments for ESCA patients. Tumor microenvironment (TME) enhances the ability of tumor cells to proliferate, migrate, and escape from the immune system, thus promoting the occurrence and development of tumor. TME contains chemokines. Chemokines consist of four major families, which are mainly composed of CC and CXC families. The main purpose of this review is to understand the CC and CXC chemokines and their receptors in ESCA, to improve the understanding of tumorigenesis of ESCA and determine new biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of ESCA. We reviewed the literature on CC and CXC chemokines and their receptors in ESCA identified by PubMed database. This article introduces the general structures and functions of CC, CXC chemokines and their receptors in TME, as well as their roles in the progress of ESCA. Chemokines are involved in the development of ESCA, such as cancer cell invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and radioresistance, and are key determinants of disease progression, which have a great impact on patient prognosis and treatment response. In addition, a full understanding of their mechanism of action is essential to further verify that these chemokines and their receptors may serve as biomarkers or therapeutic targets of ESCA.

Interleukin-8 and Interleukin-6 Are Biomarkers of Poor Prognosis in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common type of cancer characterized by fast progression and high mortality rates, which generally implies a poor prognosis at time of diagnosis. Intricate interaction networks of cytokines produced by resident and inflammatory cells in the tumor microenvironment play crucial roles in ESCC development and metastasis, thus influencing therapy efficiency. As such, cytokines are the most prominent targets for specific therapies and prognostic parameters to predict tumor progression and aggressiveness. In this work, we examined the association between ESCC progression and the systemic levels of inflammatory cytokines to determine their usefulness as diagnostic biomarkers. We analyzed the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α e IL-12p70 in a group of 70 ESCC patients and 70 healthy individuals using Cytometric Bead Array (CBA) technology. We detected increased levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 in ESCC patients compared to controls. However, multivariate analysis revealed that only IL8 was an independent prognostic factor for ESCC, as were the well-known risk factors: alcohol consumption, tobacco usage, and exposure to pesticides/insecticides. Importantly, patients with low IL-6, IL-8, TNM I/II, or those who underwent surgery had a significantly higher overall survival rate. We also studied cultured Kyse-30 and Kyse-410 cells in mice. We determined that the ESCC cell line Kyse-30 grew more aggressively than the Kyse-410 cell line. This enhanced growth was associated with the recruitment/accumulation of intratumoral polymorphonuclear leukocytes. In conclusion, our data suggest IL-8 as a valuable prognostic factor with potential as a biomarker for ESCC.

A Multiple-Array SPRi Biosensor as a Tool for Detection of Gynecological-Oncological Diseases

Diagnostics based on the determination of biomarkers in body fluids will be more successful when several biomarkers are determined. A multiple-array SPRi biosensor for the simultaneous determination of CA125, HE4, CEA, IL-6 and aromatase has been developed. Five individual biosensors were placed on the same chip. Each of them consisted of a suitable antibody covalently immobilized onto a gold chip surface via a cysteamine linker by means of the NHS/EDC protocol. The biosensor for IL-6 works in the pg mL^-1 range, that for CA125 in the µg mL^-1 range, and the other three within the ng mL^-1 range; these are ranges suitable for the determination of biomarkers in real samples. The results obtained with the multiple-array biosensor are very similar to those obtained with a single biosensor. The applicability of the multiple biosensor was demonstrated using several examples of plasma from patients suffering from ovarian cancer and endometrial cyst. The average precision was 3.4% for the determination of CA125, 3.5% for HE4, 5.0% for CEA and IL-6, and 7.6% for aromatase. The simultaneous determination of several biomarkers may be an excellent tool for the screening of the population for earlier detection of diseases.

HIF-1α/IL-8 axis in hypoxic macrophages promotes esophageal cancer progression by enhancing PD-L1 expression

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a malignancy with poor prognosis and high mortality. Hypoxic microenvironment has also been proved to be an important feature of tumors. Herein, we mainly studied the influence of hypoxia-treated tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) on EC malignant phenotype and related molecular mechanism. In this paper, we found that hypoxic macrophages contributed to EC cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and metastasis. Besides, the hypoxia treatment expedited the transformation of macrophages into M2 polarization. The level of interleukin (IL)-8 was boosted in macrophages after hypoxia treatment. Moreover, hypoxia treatment heightened IL-8 secretion by macrophages via positively regulating hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) expression. The IL-8 secreted by hypoxic macrophages facilitated EC cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and metastasis by elevating ligand of programmed death 1 (PD-L1) expression. In the end, IL-8 also expedited EC tumorigenesis in vivo. In conclusion, HIF-1α/IL-8 axis in hypoxic macrophages could expedite EC advancement by upregulating PD-L1 level, which might deliver a novel thought for EC cure.

Two Biosensors for the Determination of Interleukin-6 in Blood Plasma by Array SPRi

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a biomarker of inflammation, the advanced stage of COVID-19, and several cancers, including ovarian cancer. Two biosensors for the determination of IL-6 in blood plasma by array SPRi have been developed. One of these biosensors consists of the mouse monoclonal anti-IL-6 antibody as the receptor immobilized via the cysteamine linker. The second contains galiellalactone as the receptor, being an inhibitor specific for IL-6, immobilized via octadecanethiol (ODM) as the linker. Both biosensors are specific for IL-6. The biosensor with the antibody as the receptor gives a linear analytical response between 3 (LOQ) and 20 pg mL⁻¹ and has a precision between 8% and 9.8% and recovery between 97% and 107%, depending on the IL-6 concentration. The biosensor with galiellalactone as the receptor gives a linear analytical response between 1.1 (LOQ) and 20 pg mL⁻¹, and has a precision between 3.5% and 9.3% and recovery between 101% and 105%, depending on IL-6 concentration. Both biosensors were validated. Changes in IL-6 concentration in blood plasma before and after resection of ovarian tumor and endometrial cyst, as determined by the two developed biosensors, are given as an example of a real clinical application.

Cytokine Interaction With Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a highly aggressive cancer with poor outcomes under current treatment regimens. More recent findings suggest stroma elements, specifically cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), play a role in disease occurrence and progression. Cancer-associated fibroblasts are largely the product of converted fibroblasts, but a variety of other local cell types including epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and mesenchymal cells have also been shown to transform to CAFs under the correct conditions. Cancer-associated fibroblasts primarily function in the communication between the tumor microenvironment and cancer cells via cytokine and chemokine secretions that accentuate immunosuppression and cancer growth. Cancer-associated fibroblasts also pose issues for EC treatment by contributing to resistance of current chemotherapeutics like cisplatin. Targeting this cell type directly proves difficult given the heterogeneity between CAFs subpopulations, but emerging research provides hope that treatment is on the horizon. This review aims to unravel some of the complexities surrounding CAFs’ impact on EC growth and therapy.

The diagnostic value of interleukin 6 as a biomarker for gastric cancer: A meta-analysis and systematic review

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers and a main cause of global cancer death. The expression of interleukin 6 is associated with the risk of gastric cancer. But the diagnostic accuracy of interleukin 6 remains unclear. This study was designed to assess the diagnostic performance of interleukin 6 in gastric cancer diagnosis.

METHODS

The related data was obtained from Oncomine and studied using bioinformatics analysis. The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of science databases were searched for related studies published from inception to July 14, 2020. Measuring tools of diagnostic performance including sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio were pooled using bivariate mixed-effects meta-analysis model. The summery receiver operator characteristic curves were plotted.

RESULTS

The result from Oncomine showed that the expression of interleukin 6 in gastric cancer (GC) patients was higher than the normal groups (P < .05). Furthermore, a total of 4 eligible articles were enrolled, containing 390 cases and 404 controls. The diagnostic results were as follows: a sensitivity of 0.80 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57-0.92), a specificity of 0.86 (95% CI 0.74-0.93), a positive likelihood ratio of 5.76 (95% CI 3.49-9.49), a negative likelihood ratio of 0.23 (95% CI 0.11-0.51) and a diagnostic odds ratio of 24.58 (95% CI 14.14-42.73). The summary area under the receiver operating characteristic curves was 0.90 (95% CI 0.87-0.93).

CONCLUSION

Higher interleukin 6 expression was detected in GC patients, and interleukin 6 could be a helpful indicator of diagnosis of gastric cancer. Further large-scale prospective studies are required for identifying the diagnostic value of interleukin 6 in gastric cancer.

Characterization of Recurrent Relevant Genes Reveals a Novel Role of RPL36A in Radioresistant Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Simple Summary

Radioresistance is one of the major factors contributing to radiotherapy failure in OSCC. By systematically comparing the prognostic values of all genes in TCGA-OSCC patients with and without radiotherapy, radioresistance-associated genes were identified. Higher RPL36A transcript levels were found to be associated with a poor prognosis only in OSCC patients with radiotherapy in the cohort of TCGA and another independent Taiwanese cohort. RPL36A was then shown to be involved in the regulation of DNA damage, cell cycle and apoptosis, leading to radioresistance. Thus, such integrated studies are expected to be greatly beneficial for the development of new therapeutic interventions for radioresistant OSCC in the future.

Abstract

Radioresistance is one of the major factors that contributes to radiotherapy failure in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). By comparing the prognostic values of 20,502 genes expressed in patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-OSCC cohort with (n = 162) and without radiotherapy (n = 118), herein identified 297 genes positively correlated with poor disease-free survival in OSCC patients with radiotherapy as the potential radioresistance-associated genes. Among the potential radioresistance-associated genes, 36 genes were upregulated in cancerous tissues relative to normal tissues. The bioinformatics analysis revealed that 60S ribosomal protein L36a (RPL36A) was the most frequently detected gene involved in radioresistance-associated gene-mediated biological pathways. Then, two independent cohorts (n = 162 and n = 136) were assessed to confirm that higher RPL36A transcript levels were significantly associated with a poor prognosis only in OSCC patients with radiotherapy. Mechanistically, we found that knockdown of RPL36A increased radiosensitivity via sensitizing cells to DNA damage and promoted G2/M cell cycle arrest followed by augmenting the irradiation-induced apoptosis pathway in OSCC cells. Taken together, our study supports the use of large-scale genomic data for identifying specific radioresistance-associated genes and suggests a regulatory role for RPL36A in the development of radioresistance in OSCC.

Advances of Tumorigenesis, Diagnosis at Early Stage, and Cellular Immunotherapy in Gastrointestinal Malignancies

Globally, in 2018, 4.8 million new patients have a diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, while 3.4 million people died of such disorders. GI malignancies are tightly relevant to 26% of the world-wide cancer incidence and occupies 35% of all cancer-associated deaths. In this article, we principally investigated molecular and cellular mechanisms of tumorigenesis in five major GI cancers occurring at esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, and colorectal region that illustrate high morbidity in Eastern and Western countries. Moreover, through this investigation, we not only emphasize importance of the tumor microenvironment in development and treatment of malignant tumors but also identify significance of M2PK, miRNAs, ctDNAs, circRNAs, and CTCs in early detection of GI cancers, as well as systematically evaluate contribution of personalized precision medicine including cellular immunotherapy, new antigen and vaccine therapy, and oncolytic virotherapy in treatment of GI cancers.

High Expression of Citron Kinase Contributes to the Development of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the role and potential regulatory mechanism of citron kinase (CIT) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods

Citron kinase (CIT) expression in ESCC tissues was analyzed based on the microarray dataset GSE20347, and CIT expression in ESCC cell lines was analyzed. Eca-109 cells were lentivirally transfected with shRNA-CIT (LV-shCIT) to knock down CIT, followed by investigation of cell proliferation and apoptosis. Nude mouse xenograft experiments were performed to evaluate the tumorigenicity of CIT-knockdown Eca-109 cells. Microarray analysis of Eca-109 cells transfected with LV-shCIT or LV-shNC and subsequent Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) were performed to identify CIT-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and signaling pathways. Furthermore, the expression of key DEGs was validated using the clinical samples of ESCC.

Results

Citron kinase (CIT) was highly expressed in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of CIT suppressed Eca-109 cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis in vitro. Moreover, CIT knockdown significantly reduced tumorigenicity of Eca-109 cells in vivo. Microarray and IPA analysis showed that signaling by the Rho family GTPases pathway was significantly activated, and CIT intrinsically interacted with the protein kinase AMP-activated catalytic subunit alpha 1 (PRKAA1), sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1), and interleukin 6 (IL6). Notably, the expression levels of PRKAA1 and SQSTM1 were upregulated in ESCC tissues, while the IL6 expression was downregulated.

Conclusion

Our findings confirm that CIT functions as an oncogene in ESCC. CIT may contribute to ESCC development by upregulating PRKAA1 and SQSTM1 as well as downregulating IL6. Citron kinase may serve as a promising therapeutic target for ESCC.

Targeted proteomics-derived biomarker profile develops a multi-protein classifier in liquid biopsies for early detection of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma from a population-based case-control study

BACKGROUND

Early diagnosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains a challenge due to the lack of specific blood biomarkers. We aimed to develop a serum multi-protein signature for the early detection of ESCC.

METHODS

We selected 70 healthy controls, 30 precancerous patients, 60 stage I patients, 70 stage II patients and 70 stage III/IV ESCC patients from a completed ESCC case-control study in a high-risk area of China. Olink Multiplex Oncology II targeted proteomics panel was used to simultaneously detect the levels of 92 cancer-related proteins in serum using proximity extension assay.

RESULTS

We found that 10 upregulated and 13 downregulated protein biomarkers in serum could distinguish the early-stage ESCC from healthy controls, which were validated by the significant dose-response relationships with ESCC pathological progression. Applying least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and backward elimination algorithm, ANXA1 (annexin A1), hK8 (kallikrein-8), hK14 (kallikrein-14), VIM (vimentin), and RSPO3 (R-spondin-3) were kept in the final model to discriminate early ESCC cases from healthy controls with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.936 (95% confidence interval: 0.899 ~ 0.973). The average accuracy rates of the five-protein classifier were 0.861 and 0.825 in training and test data by five-fold cross-validation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested that a combination of ANXA1, hK8, hK14, VIM and RSPO3 serum proteins could be considered as a potential tool for screening and early diagnosis of ESCC, especially with the establishment of a three-level hierarchical screening strategy for ESCC control.

Factors affecting stability of plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor

Circulating concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been linked to cancer, neuropsychiatric, diabetes, and gynecological disorders. However, factors influencing plasma storage and subsequent BDNF quantification are incompletely understood. Therefore, the anticoagulant used in plasma separator tubes, storage-time, storage-temperature, and repeated freeze–thaw cycles on circulating BDNF concentrations was evaluated. Peripheral blood samples were collected from healthy women (n = 14) and men (n = 10) recruited prospectively from McMaster University (August 2014). Blood was collected from the cubital vein into plasma separator tubes containing five different anticoagulant systems [K2EDTA, Li-Hep, Li-Hep (gel), Na-Hep, Na-Hep (glass)], and placed on ice for transport to the lab for centrifugation. Plasma samples (n = 16) collected in K2EDTA tubes from women recruited to a previous study (April 2011 to December 2012) were used to determine the effect of multiple freeze–thaw cycles. Plasma BDNF was quantified using a commercially available ELISA kit. Plasma concentrations of BDNF were significantly affected by the type of plasma separator tube, storage-time, and number of freeze–thaw cycles. Storage temperature (− 20 vs. − 80 °C) did not significantly affect the quantity of BDNF measured as mean BDNF concentrations generally fell within our calculated acceptable change limit up to 6 months in the freezer. Our results suggest that for quantification of circulating BDNF blood collected in K2EDTA tubes and plasma stored up to 6 months at either − 20 or − 80 °C produces reproducible results that fall within an acceptable range. However, plasma samples stored beyond 6 months and repeated freeze–thaw cycles should be avoided.

Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway in Myelodysplastic Syndrome: Abnormal activation and jervine intervention

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the roles of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway in the occurrence and progression of Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and further evaluate using jervine as therapeutic strategy for MDS by inhibiting Shh pathway.

METHODS

CD34+ cells from the bone marrow of 53 MDS patients were counted by flow cytometry and isolated by magnetic bead sorting. Shh, Smo, Ptch-1 and Gli-1 (involved in Shh pathway) in CD34+ cells were examined by RT-qPCR. Besides, the relationship between Shh pathway-related genes and the clinical features or prognosis of MDS were analyzed. Further, the effects of jervine on MUTZ-1 cells regarding their proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle as well as Shh pathway-related gene and protein expression were analyzed.

RESULTS

Gene expression level of Shh, Gli-1 and Smo was significantly increased in MDS patients. Herein, Smo and Gli-1 were correlated with chromosome karyotype classification and IPSS. MDS patients with high expression of Smo or Gli-1 had a poor prognosis. Jervine inhibited gene and protein expression of Shh, Smo, Ptch-1 and Gli-1. Besides, jervine suppressed the proliferation and promoted the apoptosis of MUTZ-1 cells, as well as inhibited the transition of cells from G1 to S phase.

CONCLUSION

Shh signaling pathway of MDS patients is abnormally activated and participated in the occurrence and progression of MDS. Jervine intervention is a potential therapeutic strategy for MDS.

miR-7 Reduces Breast Cancer Stem Cell Metastasis via Inhibiting RELA to Decrease ESAM Expression

This study aimed to present evidence that miR-7 inhibited the metastasis of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) and elucidated the mechanisms that have remained unknown. The samples collected from miR-7 agomir-treated, BCSC-driven tumors were subjected to a protein array to analyze the protein expression profiles. A dual-luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR were used to validate and evaluate the molecular expressions of interest in the collected breast cancer tissues and cell lines. miR-7 overexpression affecting metastasis of BCSCs was further evaluated in mice. The endothelial cell-selective adhesion molecule (ESAM) was highly expressed in breast cancer tissues and in BCSC-driven xenografts. Results of the dual-luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR indicated that the miR-7 mimic reduced RELA expression by directly targeting the 3′ UTR of RELA to inhibit ESAM expression in MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, the expression levels of RELA, CD44, and ESAM were significantly decreased in lentivirus (Lenti)-miR-7-BCSC-driven xenografts compared with the control xenografts, accompanied with an increase in E-cadherin and a decrease in vimentin expression, as well as reduction in tumor growth and metastasis to lungs. Our data demonstrated that miR-7 overexpression reduced the metastasis of BCSCs via inhibiting ESAM, suggesting that ESAM could be a potential target for breast cancer therapy.

Blood-based biomarkers for early detection of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common malignant tumor of the digestive system worldwide, especially in China. Due to the lack of effective early detection methods, ESCC patients often present at an advanced stage at the time of diagnosis, which seriously affects the prognosis of patients. At present, early detection of ESCC mainly depends on invasive and expensive endoscopy and histopathological biopsy. Therefore, there is an unmet need for a non-invasive method to detect ESCC in the early stages. With the emergence of a large class of non-invasive diagnostic tools, serum tumor markers have attracted much attention because of their potential for detection of early tumors. Therefore, the identification of serum tumor markers for early detection of ESCC is undoubtedly one of the most effective ways to achieve early diagnosis and treatment of ESCC. This article reviews the recent advances in the discovery of blood-based ESCC biomarkers, and discusses the origins, clinical applications, and technical challenges of clinical validation of various types of biomarkers.

Systemic interleukin 10 levels indicate advanced stages while interleukin 17A levels correlate with reduced survival in esophageal adenocarcinomas

Introduction

Reflux promotes esophageal adenocarcinomas (EAC) creating a chronic inflammatory environment. EAC show an increasing incidence in the Western World and median survival rates are still low. The main reasons for poor prognosis despite new multimodal therapies are diagnosis of EACs at an already advanced stage and distant metastases. Hence, we wanted to investigate the presence of systemic inflammatory interleukins (IL) and their impact on patient prognosis.

Material and methods

Systemic expression levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory markers (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A and IL-22) in the sera of 43 EAC patients without neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy were measured by flow cytometric analysis. A correlation to clinicopathological data was performed. Log-rank and Cox regression analysis were used to investigate the impact on patient survival. 43 sera of age and gender matched healthy volunteers were used as controls.

Results

Increased systemic IL-6 (p = 0.044) and lower IL-17A (p = 0.002) levels were found in EAC patients as opposed to controls. A correlation of IL-10 levels with an increased T stage was found (p = 0.020). Also, systemic IL-10 levels were highly elevated in patients with distant metastasis (p<0.001). However, only systemic IL-17A levels had an influence on patient survival in multivariate analysis.

Conclusion

Systemic IL-6 levels are increased, while IL-17A levels are reduced in EAC patients compared to healthy controls. In addition, circulating IL-10 might help to identify patients with advanced disease and high IL-17A might indicate a limited prognosis.

Prognostic value of cripto-1 expression in non-small-cell lung cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to analyze the association between cripto-1 expression and prognosis as well as clinicopathological features of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods: The electronic databases for all articles about NSCLC and cripto-1 expression were searched. Results: Twelve articles were enrolled in this meta-analysis (3130 samples). In NSCLC patients, cripto-1 was expressed higher than in normal tissues. Cripto-1 expression was closely correlated with lymph node metastasis, histological differentiation and advanced clinical stage of NSCLC patients, but not related to smoking, age and gender. Pooled hazard ratios found that high cripto-1 expression had poor overall survival and progression-free survival. Conclusion: Cripto-1 could serve as a novel biomarker for predicting poor prognosis in NSCLC patients.

Serum interleukin-8 as a potential diagnostic biomarker in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has poor prognosis mainly due to the difficulty of making early diagnosis. Therefore, novel biomarkers are critically needed.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of serum interleukin-8 (IL-8) in ESCC.

METHODS

Data mining of TCGA was used to analyze expression level of IL-8 mRNA in esophageal carcinoma. Serum levels of IL-8 were measured in 103 ESCC patients and 86 normal controls by ELISA. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate its diagnostic accuracy.

RESULTS

IL-8 mRNA expression level and serum IL-8 concentration were both statistically higher in patients than normal controls (P< 0.001). ROC curve demonstrated that the optimum diagnostic cut-off for serum IL-8 was 80.082 pg/mL, providing an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.694 (95% CI: 0.620-0.768), with specificity of 86.0% and sensitivity of 42.7%. The AUC for early-stage ESCC was 0.618 (95% CI: 0.499-0.737), with sensitivity of 35.3% and specificity of 86.0%. Kaplan-Meier analysis and the log-rank test indicated that IL-8 may not be a prognostic predictor for ESCC.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum IL-8 was highly expressed in ESCC patients and may be a potential marker for early diagnosis of ESCC.

Hepatoprotective effects of Cassia semen ethanol extract on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in experimental rat

CONTEXT

Cassia semen (Cs), a seed of Cassia obtusifolia L. (Leguminosae), is a popular functional beverage. Previous studies reported that Cs displayed antioxidant, antifungal and strong liver protective effects.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluates the hepatoprotective effects of Cs on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seventy-two male Wistar rats raised with high-fat diet (HFD) were randomly allotted into model, metformin (0.2 g/kg) and Cs (0.5, 1, and 2 g/kg)-treated groups. Another 12 rats were raised with normal feed as control group; all the rats were orally administrated with drugs and vehicle for 6 weeks. Alanine transferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and low density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) mRNA levels were measured at the end of the experiment.

RESULTS

Twelve weeks of HFD administration significantly increased the levels of AST, ALT, TG, TC, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8 and MDA, decreased SOD (199.42 vs. 137.70 U/mg protein) and GSH (9.76 vs. 4.55 mg/g protein) contents, compared to control group. Cs administration group significantly decreased the elevated biomarkers with the ED₅₀ = 1.2 g/kg for NAFLD rats. Cs treatment also prevents the decreased expression of LDL-R mRNA, and improved the histopathological changes compared to model group.

CONCLUSIONS

The hepatoprotective effect of Cs on NAFLD may possibly be due to its antioxidant effect. Cs may become a potent hepatoprotective agent in clinical therapy in the future.

The Role of MMP8 in Cancer: A Systematic Review

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have traditionally been considered as tumor promoting enzymes as they degrade extracellular matrix components, thus increasing the invasion of cancer cells. It has become evident, however, that MMPs can also cleave and alter the function of various non-matrix bioactive molecules, leading to both tumor promoting and suppressive effects. We applied systematic review guidelines to study MMP8 in cancer including the use of MMP8 as a prognostic factor or as a target/anti-target in cancer treatment, and its molecular mechanisms. A total of 171 articles met the inclusion criteria. The collective evidence reveals that in breast, skin and oral tongue cancer, MMP8 inhibits cancer cell invasion and proliferation, and protects patients from metastasis via cleavage of non-structural substrates. Conversely, in liver and gastric cancers, high levels of MMP8 worsen the prognosis. Expression and genetic alterations of MMP8 can be used as a prognostic factor by examination of the tumor and serum/plasma. We conclude, that MMP8 has differing effects on cancers depending on their tissue of origin. The use of MMP8 as a prognostic factor alone, or with other factors, seems to have potential. The molecular mechanisms of MMP8 in cancer further emphasize its role as an important regulator of bioactive molecules.

Serum pepsinogen assay is not recommended for the diagnosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Serum pepsinogen I (PGI) concentration and PGI/PGII ratio (PGR) are often used as serological markers for gastric fundus atrophy (AGA) and gastric carcinoma. However, their diagnostic value in esophageal carcinoma (EC) is inaccurate. Methods: This study evaluated the diagnostic value of PGI and PGR in EC by searching the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases for literature on the diagnosis of EC with PGI and PGR from January 1, 2000 to October 2, 2018. The included literature were systematically evaluated using QUSDAS-2 software. Meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 15.0 software. The summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC) accuracy was plotted, the area under the curve was calculated. Results: A total of 84 papers were selected, and after screening, nine papers on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) were finally included. Results showed low an ESCC-specific diagnostic sensitivity (0.27), high specificity (0.85), and 0.63 AUC of SROC when PGI≤70 ng/mL. When PGR≤3, the ESCC-specific diagnostic sensitivity was low (0.29), the specificity was high (0.83), and the AUC of SROC was 0.63. Conclusion: According to the current research results, PGI≤70 ng/mL or PGR≤3 diagnostic ESCC sensitivity is low, and specificity is high. These findings indicate that neither PGI≤70 ng/mL nor PGR≤3 can be used as an ESCC-screening index.

A five-gene signature to predict the overall survival time of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the six most commonly diagnosed tumor types in the Chinese population. Gene expression profiles help to predict the prognosis of patients with ESCC. Disease recurrence as the survival endpoint has been analyzed in the majority of previous studies; therefore, the aim of the present study was to construct a robust gene signature in order to determine the overall survival (OS) of patients with ESCC. The gene expression and clinical data of patients with ESCC were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Of the selected data (172 samples from surviving patients), 72 samples were randomly selected as modeling data, and verification was conducted using the entire dataset. Data from the Gene Expression Omnibus was analyzed simultaneously, and a venn diagram was constructed to determine the intersection between these two sets of results; a total of 97 genes were found to be associated with OS. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis demonstrated that these genes were primarily associated with specific pathways (Homo sapiens), including DNA replication, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum and influenza A. A five-gene signature was identified with a robust likelihood-based survival modeling approach. Using regression coefficient modeling, a prognostic model consisting of the C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8, DNA damage inducible transcript 3, RAB27A, member RAS oncogene family, replication factor C subunit 2 and elongation factor for RNA polymerase II 2 genes was constructed and validated. Based on these results, patients were subdivided into high and low-risk groups. Compared with the high-risk group, the OS time of patients in the low-risk group was significantly increased. Furthermore, it was determined that the five genes were all differentially expressed in ESCC tissues compared with normal tissues, indicating the potential role of these genes in ESCC initiation and progression. In another independent cohort, this five-gene signature was further confirmed and was considered as an independent prognostic biomarker for OS prediction in patients with ESCC. In conclusion, the OS of patients with ESCC may be predicted using this five-gene signature, which may be useful in identifying patients with high-risk ESCC.