METHODS:Archival tissue specimens were collected from 30 patients with CRC who had undergone surgical intervention at King Khalid University Hospital. Patient demographic information, including age and gender, tumor sites, and histological type of CRC, was recorded. To measure TNF-a mRNA expression in CRC, total RNA was extracted from tumor formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded, and adjacent normal tissues. Reverse transcription and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction were performed. Colorectal tissue microarrays were constructed to investigate the protein expression of TNF-a by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS:The relative expression of TNF-a mRNA in colorectal cancer was significantly higher than that seen in adjacent normal colorectal tissue. High TNF -a gene expression was associated with Stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ neoplasms when compared with earlier tumor stages (P = 0.004). Eighty-three percent of patients (25/30) showed strong TNF-a positive staining, while only 10% (n = 3/30) of patients showed weak staining, and 7% (n = 2/30) were negative. We showed the presence of elevated TNF-a gene expression in cancer cells, which strongly correlated with advanced stages of tumor. CONCLUSION:High levels of TNF-a expression could be an independent diagnostic indicator of colorectal cancer, and targeting TNF-a might be a promising prognostic tool by assessment of the clinical stages of CRC.

This paper presents the results from a systematic study into the characterization and anticancer and biological activity of synthesized super-paramagnetic manganese oxide nanoparticles (Mn3O4-NPs).

BackgroundVitamin D, causally implicated in bone diseases and human malignancies, exerts its effects through binding to the vitamin D receptor (VDR). VDR is a transcription factor modulating the expression of several genes in different pathways. Genetic variants in the VDR gene have been associated with several cancers in different population including colorectal cancer.ObjectiveTo assess the association of VDR gene polymorphisms in relation with colorectal cancer (CRC) in a Saudi population.MethodsThe polymorphisms of VDR gene (BsmI, FokI, ApaI and TaqI) were analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction amplification of segments of interest followed by Sanger sequencing. One hundred diagnosed CRC patients and 100 healthy control subjects that were age and gender matched were recruited.ResultsWe did not observe significant association of any of the four VDR polymorphisms with colorectal cancer risk in the overall analysis. Although not statistically significant, the AA genotype of BsmI conferred about two-fold protection against CRCs compared to the GG genotype. Stratification of the study subjects based on age and gender suggests statistically significant association of CRC with the ‘C’ allele of ApaI in patients >57 years of age at disease diagnosis and BsmI polymorphism in females. In addition, statistically significant differences were observed for the genotypic distributions of VDR-BsmI, ApaI and TaqI SNPs between Saudi Arabian population and several of the International HapMap project populations.ConclusionDespite the absence of correlation of the examined VDR polymorphisms with CRCs in the combined analysis, ApaI and BsmI loci are statistically significantly associated with CRC in elderly and female patients, respectively. These findings need further validation in larger cohorts prior to utilizing these SNPs as potential screening markers for colorectal cancers in Saudi population.

BackgroundIL-17 expressed by Th17 cells play a crucial role in tissue inflammation by induction of proinflammatory and neutrophil mobilizing cytokines, and IL-17 polymorphisms are associated with colorectal cancer (CRC).ObjectiveWe investigated the expression of IL-17 and the association of IL-17 gene polymorphisms with CRC susceptibility in a Middle East population.Materials and methodsThe study included 117 diagnosed CRC patients and 100 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. IL-17A rs2275913 (G197A) and IL-17F rs763780 (T7488C) single nucleotide polymorphisms, mRNA, and protein levels of IL-17A were assessed.ResultsWe observed significant association between rs2275913 in IL-17A and susceptibility to CRC (p = 0.016228). The AG and AA genotypes conferred 2-fold and 2.8-fold, respectively, higher risk of developing CRC compared with individuals having GG genotype. Stratification of the data based on gender and age revealed very strong association of CRC with IL17A rs2275913 only in males and “AG” genotype in patients ≤57 years of age at the time of disease diagnosis. The rs763780 in IL-17F was not linked with CRCs in our cohort. Furthermore, IL-17A mRNA expression in CRCs was significantly elevated compared to adjacent normal tissues, particularly in early stages of disease (p = 0.0005). Strong immunoreactivity to IL-17A protein was observed in 70% of early stage relative to 30% of late-stage tumors.ConclusionThe IL-17A G197A variant may be utilized as a genetic screening marker in assessing CRC risk, and its expression can be used as a biomarker for early detection of CRC in the Saudi population.