Ceramides Profile Identifies Patients with More Advanced Stages of Colorectal Cancer
Adam R. Markowski,
Agnieszka U. Błachnio-Zabielska,
Katarzyna Guzińska-Ustymowicz,
Agnieszka Markowska,
Karolina Pogodzińska,
Kamila Roszczyc,
Justyna Zińczuk,
Piotr Zabielski
Affiliations
Adam R. Markowski
Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Polish Red Cross Memorial Municipal Hospital, 79 Henryk Sienkiewicz Street, 15-003 Bialystok, Poland
Agnieszka U. Błachnio-Zabielska
Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Metabolic Disorders, Medical University of Bialystok, 2C Adam Mickiewicz Street, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
Katarzyna Guzińska-Ustymowicz
Department of General Pathomorphology, Medical University of Bialystok, 13 Jerzy Waszyngton Street, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland
Agnieszka Markowska
Department of Organic Chemistry, Medical University of Bialystok, 2A Adam Mickiewicz Street, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
Karolina Pogodzińska
Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Metabolic Disorders, Medical University of Bialystok, 2C Adam Mickiewicz Street, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
Kamila Roszczyc
Department of Medical Biology, Medical University of Bialystok, 2C Adam Mickiewicz Street, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
Justyna Zińczuk
Department of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Bialystok, 15A Jerzy Waszyngton Street, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland
Piotr Zabielski
Department of Medical Biology, Medical University of Bialystok, 2C Adam Mickiewicz Street, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
Much attention is paid to different sphingolipid pathways because of their possible use in diagnostics and treatment. However, the activity status and significance of ceramide pathways in colorectal cancer are still unclear. We analyzed colorectal cancer patients to evaluate sphingolipid profiles in the blood, colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues, and healthy surrounding colorectal tissues of the same patient, simultaneously, using liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Furthermore, we measured protein expression of de novo ceramide synthesis enzymes and mitochondrial markers in tissues using western blot. We confirmed the different sphingolipid contents in colorectal cancer tissue compared to healthy surrounding tissues. Furthermore, we showed changed amounts of several ceramides in more advanced colorectal cancer tissue and found a prominently higher circulating level of several of them. Moreover, we observed a relationship between the amounts of some ceramide species in colorectal cancer tissue and plasma depending on the stage of colorectal cancer according to TNM (tumors, nodes, metastasis) classification. We think that the combined measurement of several ceramide concentrations in plasma can help distinguish early-stage lesions from advanced colorectal cancer and can help produce a screening test to detect early colorectal cancer.
