Skin Cancer Metabolic Profile Assessed by Different Analytical Platforms

Abstract

Skin cancer, including malignant melanoma (MM) and keratinocyte carcinoma (KC), historically named non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC), represents the most common type of cancer among the white skin population. Despite decades of clinical research, the incidence rate of melanoma is increasing globally. Therefore, a better understanding of disease pathogenesis and resistance mechanisms is considered vital to accomplish early diagnosis and satisfactory control. The “Omics” field has recently gained attention, as it can help in identifying and exploring metabolites and metabolic pathways that assist cancer cells in proliferation, which can be further utilized to improve the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer. Although skin tissues contain diverse metabolic enzymes, it remains challenging to fully characterize these metabolites. Metabolomics is a powerful omics technique that allows us to measure and compare a vast array of metabolites in a biological sample. This technology enables us to study the dermal metabolic effects and get a clear explanation of the pathogenesis of skin diseases. The purpose of this literature review is to illustrate how metabolomics technology can be used to evaluate the metabolic profile of human skin cancer, using a variety of analytical platforms including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Data collection has not been based on any analytical method.

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“…The GSTP gene deletion increased susceptibility to the developed SC . Alterations in color, size, shape, mole surfaces, and other skin lesions or new growth on the skin are important signs of cutaneous carcinoma development . Generally, the alterations that are found over a few days are not tumors, but alterations that last for a month or more should be evaluated by a physician, as shown in Figure .…”

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“…Omics research is expected to address complex questions, aid in drug development, and improve diagnostics by comparing the changes and interactions of biomarkers within organisms. Challenges persist due to the complexity of these tasks [12]. Diseases have distinct biomark-ers and metabolic profiles, with disease progression influenced by specific metabolic shifts.…”

“…In the context of metabolomics and proteomics, the targeted metabolites can be either thermally stable and volatile, such as ketones, aldehydes, and organic acids, or non-volatile, including amino acids, lipids, and amines. Analyzing non-volatile metabolites typically requires derivatization, which involves chemical processes like acylation, sialylation, alkylation, and esterification [12]. These processes enhance the volatility and thermal stability of nonvolatile samples, making them easier to evaluate and reducing the polarity of non-volatile compounds to facilitate analysis.…”

“…When an external magnetic field is applied, the spin of the nuclei aligns with or against the magnetic field, resulting in a resonance frequency proportional to the magnetic field strength. This process produces a characteristic signal for each resonating nucleus, such as 1H, 13C, 17O, P31, and 15N, which have odd atomic numbers and masses [12,24]. The phenomenon of chemical shift, influenced by the electron shielding around the nuclei, allows for the structural interpretation, quantification, and identification of metabolites and proteins using established references [24].…”

“…Needs large sample volumes (0.1-0.5 mL). [9,12] Abbreviations: GC-MS: gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, LC-MS: liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, MALDI-TOF-MS: matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and NMR: nuclear magnetic resonance.…”