scholarly journals Metabolic characterization of plasma and cyst fluid from cystic precursors to pancreatic cancer patients reveal metabolic signatures of bacterial infection

Author(s):  
Ann Morgell ◽  
Julie A. Reisz ◽  
Zeeshan Ateeb ◽  
Haleh Davanian ◽  
Susanne E. Reinsbach ◽  
...  

AbstractPancreatic cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with a 5-year survival rate as low as 9%. One factor complicating the management of pancreatic cancer is the lack of reliable tools for early diagnosis. While up to 50% of the adult population has been shown to develop precancerous pancreatic cysts, limited and insufficient approaches are currently available to determine whether a cyst is going to progress into pancreatic cancer. Recently, we used metabolomics approaches to identify candidate markers of disease progression in patients diagnosed with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) undergoing pancreatic resection. Here we enrolled an independent cohort to verify the candidate markers from our previous study with orthogonal quantitative methods in plasma and cyst fluid from serous cystic neoplasm and IPMN (either low- or high-grade dysplasia or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma). We thus validated these markers with absolute quantitative methods through the auxilium of stable isotope-labelled internal standards in a new independent cohort. Finally, we identified novel markers of IPMN status and disease progression – including amino acids, carboxylic acids, conjugated bile acids, free and carnitine-conjugated fatty acids, purine oxidation products and TMAO. We show that the levels of these metabolites of potential bacterial origin correlated with the degree of bacterial enrichment in the cyst, as determined by 16S RNA. Overall, our findings are interesting per se, owing to the validation of previous markers and identification of novel small molecule signatures of IPMN and disease progression. In addition, our findings further fuel the provoking debate as to whether bacterial infections may represent an etiological contributor to the development and severity of the disease in pancreatic cancer, in like fashion to other cancers (e.g., Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer).Key pointsWe identified and quantified novel markers of IPMN cyst status and pancreatic cancer disease progression – including amino acids, carboxylic acids, conjugated bile acids, free and carnitine-conjugated fatty acids, purine oxidation products and TMAO.We show that the levels of these metabolites of potential bacterial origin correlated with the degree of bacterial enrichment in the cyst, as determined by 16S RNA.

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1090
Author(s):  
Hassan Sadozai ◽  
Animesh Acharjee ◽  
Thomas Gruber ◽  
Beat Gloor ◽  
Eva Karamitopoulou

Tumor budding is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition and diminished survival in a number of cancer types including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In this study, we dissect the immune landscapes of patients with high grade versus low grade tumor budding to determine the features associated with immune escape and disease progression in pancreatic cancer. We performed immunohistochemistry-based quantification of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes and tumor bud assessment in a cohort of n = 111 PDAC patients in a tissue microarray (TMA) format. Patients were divided based on the ITBCC categories of tumor budding as Low Grade (LG: categories 1 and 2) and High Grade (HG: category 3). Tumor budding numbers and tumor budding grade demonstrated a significant association with diminished overall survival (OS). HG cases exhibit notably reduced densities of stromal (S) and intratumoral (IT) T cells. HG cases also display lower M1 macrophages (S) and increased M2 macrophages (IT). These findings were validated using gene expression data from TCGA. A published tumor budding gene signature demonstrated a significant association with diminished survival in PDAC patients in TCGA. Immune-related gene expression revealed an immunosuppressive TME in PDAC cases with high expression of the budding signature. Our findings highlight a number of immune features that permit an improved understanding of disease progression and EMT in pancreatic cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e16240-e16240
Author(s):  
Viola Barucca ◽  
Andrea Petricca Mancuso ◽  
Salvatore De Marco ◽  
Daniela Iacono ◽  
Carmelilia De Bernardo ◽  
...  

e16240 Background: Germline pathogenetic mutations in BRCA1/2 genes are described in pancreatic cancer patients (PCP) in about 5–9% of cases. The purpose of this study was to determine their relevance in an unselected consecutive cohort of PCP describing family and clinical history. Methods: Patients (pts) were recruited at a single cancer center from September 2019 to October 2020. Participants provided blood for DNA analysis; cancer family history and treatment records were reviewed; DNA was analyzed by Next Generation Sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification for germline variants in BRCA1/2 Results: 69 pts were included, 61 (88,4%) with locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer received first line chemotherapy and 38 (62%) were full eligible for BRCA analysis; 8 out of 69 pts were BRCA screened even if in adjuvant setting, 10 patients are still under evaluation. Out of the 38 first line screened PCP germline BRCA mutations were found in 9 (19%): 4 pts (8,7%) with pathogenetic BRCA-2 variants (subgroup 1 – S1) and 5 pts (10,8%) with variants of unknown significances (VUSs), i.e. c.5339T>C and c.5096G>A in BRCA1 (subgroup 2 – S2). Samples from 29 pts were established as BRCA wild-type (subgroup 3 – S3). Pathogenetic BRCA-2 variants were observed in 2 male and 2 female (median age, 61.5 years, range 48-69), 3 out 4 without family history of breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancer, one patient (pt) had ovarian cancer family history. All pts had a negative personal history of others cancers. All S1 pts received FOLFIRINOX regimen achieving one complete response, 2 partials responses and 1 disease progression with RECIST criteria. The S2 included 2 male and 3 female (median age, 61 years, range 45-70) 2 with family history of pancreatic cancer, no pt had personal history of others cancers; 2 pts had stable disease and 3 disease progression receiving platinum-based regimen (4 pts) and gemcitabine/nabpaclitaxel (1 pt), respectively. Platinum responders were observed only in the well known pathogenetic BRCA-2 variants group with twice a median progression-free survival (PFS, months -ms-) as compared to the one observed in VUSs group. (>6 C.I. 95% 2- >12 ms; vs 3 ms, 95% C.I. 3-12 ms). S3 included 9 male and 20 female, (median age, 66 years, range 42-78); 5 pts had family history of pancreatic or breast cancer, 5 pts had a personal history of other cancers (breast and thyroid). In this group,16 pts received a platinum based regimen and 12 pts have been treated without platinum based regimen. Conclusions: Our results suggest that: 1) BRCA pathogenetic mutations rate (8,7%) is in line with literature data and seems not to be related with family or personal history, and to be associated with a better outcome; 2) No BRCA mutations were detected in patients over 70 years. 3) VUSs subgroup do not seem to benefit from platinum-regimen.


2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junjie Hang ◽  
Steven Yuk-Fai Lau ◽  
Ruohan Yin ◽  
Lina Zhu ◽  
Siyuan Zhou ◽  
...  

Abstract Compelling evidence suggests that phosphoprotein phosphatases (PPPs) are involved in a large spectrum of physiological and pathological processes, but little is known about their roles in pancreatic cancer. We investigated the expression level, prognostic value, and potential function of PPPs with data from Oncomine, GEPIA, THPA, and TCGA databases and an independent cohort of patients with pancreatic cancer. Among all the PPP catalytic subunits (PPPcs), the transcription levels of PPP1CA, PPP1CB, PPP3CA, PPP3CB, and PPP4C were higher in pancreatic cancer than in normal pancreas (P<0.01, fold change > 2). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that high transcription levels of PPP1CA, PPP1CB, PPP2CA, PPP2CB, PPP3CA, and PPP4C correlated with poorer survival. In contrast, patients with high levels of PPP3CB, PPP3CC, PPP5C, PPP6C, and PPEF2 had much better prognoses. Data from THPA and patients with pancreatic cancer enrolled in our hospital also confirmed the prognostic value of PPP1CA, PPP1CB, PPP2CA, PPP2CB, PPP3CA, PPP3CB, and PPP6C at the protein level. In addition, the Pearson Chi-square test showed that PPP3CB level was significantly correlated with T and N stages. GO and KEGG analyses showed that the genes and pathways related to the pathogenesis and progression of pancreatic cancer were greatly affected by alterations in PPPcs. Results of the present study suggest that PPP1CA, PPP1CB, PPP2CA, PPP2CB, and PPP3CA have deleterious effects but PPP3CB, PPP5C, and PPP6C have beneficial effects on pancreatic cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Li ◽  
Nianzhi Ning ◽  
Bo Li ◽  
Deyan Luo ◽  
Enqiang Qin ◽  
...  

COVID-19 is a severe disease in humans, as highlighted by the current global pandemic. Several studies about the metabolome of COVID-19 patients have revealed metabolic disorders and some potential diagnostic markers during disease progression. However, the longitudinal changes of metabolomics in COVID-19 patients, especially their association with disease progression, are still unclear. Here, we systematically analyzed the dynamic changes of the serum metabolome of COVID-19 patients, demonstrating that most of the metabolites did not recover by 1–3 days before discharge. A prominent signature in COVID-19 patients comprised metabolites of amino acids, peptides, and analogs, involving nine essential amino acids, 10 dipeptides, and four N-acetylated amino acids. The levels of 12 metabolites in amino acid metabolism, especially three metabolites of the ornithine cycle, were significantly higher in severe patients than in mild ones, mainly on days 1–3 or 4–6 since onset. Integrating blood metabolomic, biochemical, and cytokine data, we uncovered a highly correlated network, including 6 cytokines, 13 biochemical parameters, and 49 metabolites. Significantly, five ornithine cycle-related metabolites (ornithine, N-acetylornithine, 3-amino-2-piperidone, aspartic acid, and asparagine) highly correlated with “cytokine storms” and coagulation index. We discovered that the ornithine cycle dysregulation significantly correlated with inflammation and coagulation in severe patients, which may be a potential mechanism of COVID-19 pathogenicity. Our study provided a valuable resource for detailed exploration of metabolic factors in COVID-19 patients, guiding metabolic recovery, understanding the pathogenic mechanisms, and creating drugs against SARS-CoV-2 infection.


Author(s):  
Mario A. Shields ◽  
Christina Spaulding ◽  
Mahmoud G. Khalafalla ◽  
Thao D.N. Pham ◽  
Hidayatullah G. Munshi

1991 ◽  
Vol 274 (2) ◽  
pp. 395-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Melde ◽  
S Jackson ◽  
K Bartlett ◽  
H S A Sherratt ◽  
S Ghisla

We describe the effects of methylenecyclopropylglycine in fasted rats. A 75% decrease in the blood glucose concentration and an increase of lactate and pyruvate were observed 6 h after administration of 100 mg of this amino acid/kg. By contrast with the effects reported for hypoglycin [Williamson & Wilson (1965) Biochem. J. 94, 19c-21c], the plasma concentrations of ketone bodies decreased after administration of methylenecyclopropylglycine and the concentrations of branched-chain amino acids in the plasma were increased 6-fold. The oxidation of decanoylcarnitine or of palmitate was nearly completely inhibited in rat liver mitochondria from methylenecyclopropylglycine-poisoned rats. The activities of acetoacetyl-CoA and of 3-oxoacyl-CoA thiolase were decreased to 25% and less than 10% of the controls. There was a pronounced aciduria, due to the excretion of dicarboxylic acids and of oxidation products of branched-chain amino acids. The accumulation of the toxic metabolite methylenecyclopropylformyl-CoA in the mitochondrial matrix was detected after administration of methylenecyclopropylglycine. Similarly we confirmed experimentally that methylenecyclopropylacetyl-CoA accumulates in mitochondria incubated with methylenecyclopropylpyruvate.


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4115-4115 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Morizane ◽  
T. Okusaka ◽  
J. Furuse ◽  
H. Ishii ◽  
H. Ueno ◽  
...  

4115 Background: Gemcitabine (Gem) monotherapy or Gem-containing chemotherapy is the standard first line therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer. After disease progression, there is no standard regimen available. In a previous phase II trial (J. Furuse et al, Proc ASCO 2005: # 4104), S-1 has been reported to show considerable efficacy, achieving a response rate of 37.5% in chemo-naïve patients with pancreatic cancer. This study evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of S-1 in patients with Gem-refractory metastatic pancreatic cancer. Methods: Eligibility criteria were pathologically-proven pancreatic cancer with confirmation of progressive disease while receiving Gem-based chemotherapy, Karnofsky performance status 80 to 100%, age 20 to 74 years, with measurable metastatic lesions, adequate hematological, renal and liver functions, and written informed consent. S-1 was administered orally at 40 mg/m2 twice daily for 28 days with a rest period of 14 days as one course. Administration was repeated until the appearance of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary study end point was objective response, secondary end points included toxicity, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival, as well as clinical benefit response in symptomatic patients. Results: Forty patients (pts) from two institutions were enrolled between September 2004 and November 2005. Thirty-three pts are currently evaluable for response in this ongoing trial. There have been 5 confirmed partial responses (12.5%), and 14 pts (35%) with stable disease. Median survival has not been reached. Median PFS was 2.1 months. Toxicity data were available for 28 patients. Grade 3 and 4 toxicities were anemia (1 pts), appetite loss (2 pts), and fatigue (2 pts). Conclusions: Preliminary results demonstrated the safety and activity of S-1 in Gem-refractory metastatic pancreatic cancer. Efficacy and toxicity analysis are ongoing. Final results will be presented at the meeting. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


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