Saliva biomarkers using reagent-free biophotonic technology have not been investigated as a strategy for early detection of breast cancer (BC). The attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy has been proposed as a promising tool for disease diagnosis. However, its utilization in cancer is still incipient, and currently saliva has not been used for BC screening. We have applied ATR-FTIR onto saliva from patients with breast cancer, benign breast disease, and healthy matched controls to investigate its potential use in BC diagnosis. Several salivary vibrational modes have been identified in original and second-derivative spectra. The absorbance levels at wavenumber 1041 cm−1 were significantly higher (p<0.05) in saliva of breast cancer patients compared with those of benign patients, and the ROC curve analysis of this peak showed a reasonable accuracy to discriminate breast cancer from benign and control patients. The 1433–1302.9 cm−1 band area was significantly higher (p<0.05) in saliva of breast cancer patients than in control and benign patients. This salivary ATR-FTIR spectral area was prevalidated as a potential diagnostic biomarker of BC. This spectral biomarker was able to discriminate human BC from controls with sensitivity and specificity of 90% and 80%, respectively. Besides, it was able to differentiate BC from benign disease with sensitivity and specificity of 90% and 70%, respectively. Briefly, for the first time, saliva analysis by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy has demonstrated the potential use of salivary spectral biomarkers (1041 cm−1 and 1433–1302.9 cm−1) as a novel alternative for noninvasive BC diagnosis, which could be used for screening purposes.
Cell-free DNA is present in different biological fluids and when released by tumor cells may contribute to pro-tumor events such as malignant transformation of cells adjacent to the tumor and metastasis. Thus, this study analyzed the effect of tumor cell-free DNA, isolated from the blood of prostate cancer patients, on non-tumor prostate cell lines (RWPE-1 and PNT-2). To achieve this, we performed cell-free DNA quantification and characterization assays, evaluation of gene and miRNA expression profiling focused on cancer progression and EMT, and metabolomics by mass spectrometry and cellular migration. The results showed that tumor-free cell DNA was able to alter the gene expression of MMP9 and CD44, alter the expression profile of nine miRNAs, and increased the tryptophan consumption and cell migration rates in non-tumor cells. Therefore, tumor cell-free DNA was capable of altering the receptor cell phenotype, triggering events related to malignant transformation in these cells, and can thus be considered a potential target for cancer diagnosis and therapy.
Chronic inflammation and redox imbalance are strongly influenced by diet and nutritional status, and both are risk factors for tumor development. This prospective study aimed to explore the associations between inflammatory and antioxidant markers and nutritional status in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. The women were evaluated at three times: T0, after the infusion of the first cycle; T1, after infusion of the intermediate cycle; and T2, after the infusion of the last chemotherapy cycle. The consumption of antioxidant nutrients and the Total Dietary Antioxidant Capacity reduced between T0 and T2 and the Dietary Inflammatory Index scores increased throughout the chemotherapy. Blood samples taken at the end of the chemotherapy showed lower levels of glutathione reductase and reduced glutathione, with greater quantification of the transcripts for Interleukin-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor α. It should be emphasized that the Total Dietary Antioxidant Capacity is lower and the Dietary Inflammatory Index is higher in the group of overweight patients at the end of the follow-up, besides showing lower levels of the redox status, especially the plasma levels of glutathione reductase (p = 0.039). In addition, trends towards higher transcriptional levels of cytokines in peripheral blood were observed more often in overweight women than in non-overweight women. In this study of 55 women with breast cancer, nine (16%) with metastases, diet became more pro-inflammatory with fewer antioxidants during the chemotherapy. Briefly, we have shown that chemotherapy is critical for high-risk overweight women due to their reduced intake of antioxidant nutrients, generating greater inflammatory and oxidative stress profiles, suggesting the adoption of healthier dietary practices by women with breast cancer throughout their chemotherapy.
The overexpression of HER2 in breast cancer (BC) can contribute to redox imbalance, which is related to damage and structural modification in many biomolecules. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that has investigated the infrared spectrum wavenumbers obtained by ATR-FTIR and their relationship with the levels of redox status markers such as reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), and protein carbonyl among women with HER2+ BC, HER2− BC, and benign breast disease (BBD). The study was conducted with 25 women, 17 of whom were diagnosed with BC (6 HER2+ and 11 HER2−) and 8 with BBD. Our results indicate HER2+ BC cases could be distinguished from HER2− BC and BBD cases by their serum’s antioxidant capacity [HER2+ BC vs. HER2− BC (AUC = 0.818; specificity = 81.82%; sensitivity = 66.67%); HER2+ BC vs. BBD (AUC = 0.875; specificity = 75%; sensitivity = 83.33%)]. The changes in biochemical terms that occur in serum as a result of the scarcity of antioxidants are related to a peculiar fingerprint in the infrared spectrum obtained by ATR-FTIR. In the serum of women with BBD, the SOD enzyme level is the highest, and this characteristic allowed us to distinguish them from HER2− BC. Finally, data regarding the serological antioxidant capacity of FRAP and the infrared spectrum by ATR-FTIR will allow us to assess biochemical changes that occur before clinical signs, indicating whether changes in therapy or interventions are necessary.
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