Combination of serum matrix metalloproteinase-3 activity and EBV antibodies improves the diagnostic performance of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Could MMP3 and MMP9 Serve as Biomarkers in EBV-Related Oropharyngeal Cancer

The high incidence of, and mortality from, head and neck cancers (HNCs), including those related to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), constitute a major challenge for modern medicine, both in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, many researchers have made efforts to identify diagnostic and prognostic factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP 3) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP 9) in EBV positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) patients. For this purpose, the level of these MMPs in the serum of patients with EBV-positive OPSCC was analyzed in relation to the degree of histological differentiation and TNM classification. Our research team's results indicate that the level of both MMPs is much higher in the EBV positive OPSCC patients compared to the EBV negative and control groups. Moreover, their levels were higher in more advanced clinical stages. Considering the possible correlation between the level of MMP 3, MMP 9 and anti-EBV antibodies, and also viral load, after statistical analysis using multiple linear regression, their high correlation was demonstrated. The obtained results confirm the diagnostic accuracy for MMP 3 and MMP 9. Both MMPs may be useful in the diagnosis of EBV positive OPSCC patients.

Screening Key Genes and Biological Pathways in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma by Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis

The purpose of this study was to identify the hub genes and biological pathways of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) through bioinformatics analysis and potential new therapeutic targets. In this study, three datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between NPC and normal tissues were analyzed using the GEO2R online tool. Volcano and heat maps of the DEGs were visualized using the hiplot database. Gene ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of the upregulated and downregulated DEGs were performed using the DAVID database. Finally, we established a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network using the STRING database and showed the differential expression of hub genes between the normal and tumor tissues. In all, 109,371,221 upregulated DEGs and 139,226,520 downregulated DEGs were obtained in datasets GSE40290, GSE61218, and GSE53819, respectively, and 18 common differential genes, named co-DEGs, were screened in the three datasets. The most abundant biological GO terms of the co-DEGs were inflammatory response et al. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that co-DEGs mainly participated in the interleukin (IL)-17 signaling pathway et al. Finally, we identified four hub genes using PPI analysis and observed that three of them were highly expressed in tumor tissues. In this study, the hub genes of NPC, such as PTGS2, and pathways such as IL-17 signaling, were identified through bioinformatics analysis, which may be potential new therapeutic targets for NPC.

Serum Level of MMP-3 and MMP-9 in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Infected with Epstein-Barr Virus

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) has recently become one of the most important health problems in the world. Patients with DM2 with long-term glycaemia are more likely to become infected than the healthy population. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a key role in tissue remodeling during various physiological processes. However, it has been reported that certain MMPs are overexpressed during the development of various human diseases. In this study, we analyzed the levels of MMP-3 and MMP-9 in the serum of DM2 patients with and without Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. The study included 115 patients with DM2 hospitalized in the Internal Ward of the Masovian Specialist Hospital in Radom, Poland, who were divided into two groups: EBV-positive and EBV-negative. The levels of MMP-3 and MMP-9 were tested in the serum of patients using the ELISA method, while the presence of EBV in saliva was tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The presented studies showed a significant difference in the concentration of both MMPs in diabetic patients additionally infected with EBV compared to the group of non-infected individuals. It seems that MMPs may be useful biomarkers in the diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of diabetes associated with EBV infection.

Geometrically encoded SERS nanobarcodes for the logical detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma-related progression biomarkers

The limited availability of nasopharyngeal carcinoma-related progression biomarker array kits that offer physicians comprehensive information is disadvantageous for monitoring cancer progression. To develop a biomarker array kit, systematic identification and differentiation of a large number of distinct molecular surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) reporters with high spectral temporal resolution is a major challenge. To address this unmet need, we use the chemistry of metal carbonyls to construct a series of unique SERS reporters with the potential to provide logical and highly multiplex information during testing. In this study, we report that geometric control over metal carbonyls on nanotags can produce 14 distinct barcodes that can be decoded unambiguously using commercial Raman spectroscopy. These metal carbonyl nanobarcodes are tested on human blood samples and show strong sensitivity (0.07 ng/mL limit of detection, average CV of 6.1% and >92% degree of recovery) and multiplexing capabilities for MMPs.