| 1. |
- Bengnér, Johannes, et al.
(författare)
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Serum amyloid A – A prime candidate for identification of neonatal sepsis
- 2021
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Ingår i: Clinical Immunology. - : Elsevier. - 1521-6616 .- 1521-7035. ; 229:108787
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neonatal sepsis is common, lethal, and hard to diagnose. In combination with clinical findings and blood culture, biomarkers are crucial to make the correct diagnose. A Swedish national inquiry indicated that neonatologists were not quite satisfied with the available biomarkers. We assessed the kinetics of 15 biomarkers simultaneously: ferritin, fibrinogen, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-1β, −6, −8, −10, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1β, procalcitonin, resistin, serum amyloid A (SAA), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, tissue plasminogen activator-3 and visfatin. The goal was to observe how quickly they rise in response to infection, and for how long they remain elevated. From a neonatal intensive care unit, newborns ≥28 weeks gestational age were recruited. Sixty-eight newborns were recruited to the study group (SG), and fifty-one to the control group (CG). The study group subjects were divided into three subgroups depending on clinical findings: confirmed sepsis (CSG), suspected sepsis (SSG) and no sepsis. CSG and SSG were also merged into an entire sepsis group (ESG) for sub-analysis. Blood samples were collected at three time-points; 0 h, 12–24 h and 48–72 h, in order to mimic a “clinical setting”. At 0 h, visfatin was elevated in SSG compared to CG; G-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-1β, −8 and − 10 were elevated in SSG and ESG compared to CG, whereas IL-6 and SAA were elevated in all groups compared to CG. At 12–24 h, IL-8 was elevated in ESG compared to CG, visfatin was elevated in ESG and SSG compared to CG, and SAA was elevated in all three groups compared to CG. At 48–72 h, fibrinogen was elevated in ESG compared to CG, IFN-γ and IL-1β were elevated in SSG and ESG compared to CG, whereas IL-8 and SAA were elevated in all three groups compared to CG. A function of time-formula is introduced as a tool for theoretical prediction of biomarker levels at any time-point. We conclude that SAA has the most favorable kinetics regarding diagnosing neonatal sepsis, of the biomarkers studied. It is also readily available methodologically, making it a prime candidate for clinical use.
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| 2. |
- Shamoun, Levar, et al.
(författare)
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Association study on IL-4, IL-4Rα and IL-13 genetic polymorphisms in Swedish patients with colorectal cancer
- 2018
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Ingår i: Clinica Chimica Acta. - : Elsevier. - 0009-8981 .- 1873-3492. ; 487, s. 101-106
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Interleukin 4 (IL-4) and interleukin 13 (IL-13) are anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory cytokines which share a common cellular receptor IL4Rα and are involved in the same signaling pathways. Our purpose was to assess whether genetic variants within IL-4, IL-13 and IL-4Rα are associated with the risk or clinical outcome of colorectal cancer (CRC).METHODS: Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were screened in 466 patients with CRC and 445 healthy controls. The selected SNPs were IL-4 SNP rs2243250, IL-4Rα SNP rs1801275 and IL-13 SNP rs1800925.RESULTS: We found that the genotype variant T/T in IL-13 gene was associated with a higher risk of CRC. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the cancer specific survival differed between C/C and CT + TT for IL-4 SNP. Moreover, the carriers of the T allele were associated with the highest risk of CRC death with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.57, 95% CI 1.06-2.36, p = .024. The observed effect of the T allele was restricted to stage III patients.CONCLUSION: Our results indicate IL-13 SNP rs1800925 as a risk factor for CRC and that IL-4 SNP rs2243250 could be a useful prognostic marker in the follow-up and clinical management of patients with CRC especially in stage III disease.
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| 3. |
- Alehagen, Urban, 1951-, et al.
(författare)
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Increased mortality in the A/A genotype of the SNP rs28372698 of interleukin 32
- 2021
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Ingår i: Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine. - : SPANDIDOS PUBL LTD. - 1792-0981 .- 1792-1015. ; 21:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- One of the major causes of mortality in the western hemisphere is cardiovascular disease. Therefore, a variety of markers to identify those at risk are required. Interleukin-32 (IL-32) is a cytokine that is associated with inflammation. The aim of the current study was to investigate variations in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-32 and plasma expression, and their associations with mortality. A population of 486 elderly community-living persons were evaluated. The participants were followed for 7.1 years and underwent a clinical examination and blood sampling. SNP analyses of IL-32 rs28372698 using allelic discrimination and plasma measurement of IL-32, using ELISA, were performed. During the follow-up period, 140 (28.8%) all-cause and 87 (17.9%) cardiovascular deaths were registered. No significant difference between mortality and plasma concentration of IL-32 was observed. The A/A genotype group exhibited significantly higher all-cause mortality (P=0.036), and an almost two-fold increased risk in a multivariate Cox regression model for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. A highly significant difference in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality between the A/A and the T/T groups was demonstrated (P=0.015 resp. P=0.014). In the present study, the cytokine IL-32 was demonstrated to have prognostic information, with an increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality for those with the A/A genotype rs28372698 of IL-32. The A/A genotype could therefore be regarded as a possible biomarker for mortality risk that may be used to offer optimized cardiovascular patient handling in the future. However, the present study sample was small, and the results should be regarded as hypothesis-generating.
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| 4. |
- Pettersson-Pablo, Paul, et al.
(författare)
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IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 are associated with a decreased pulse-wave velocity in young, healthy adults
- 2021
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Ingår i: BMC Cardiovascular Disorders. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2261 .- 1471-2261. ; 21:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In healthy, young adults we analyzed a panel of cardiovascular disease related proteins in plasma and compared them with the vascular health of the subjects. The aim was to identify proteins with a relationship to the early atherosclerotic process in healthy individuals.METHODS: We employed the proximity extension assay from OLINK proteomics to analyze 92 cardiovascular disease (CVD) related proteins on 833 subjects (men and women, ages 18-26). The women were further divided into an estrogen-using group and non-users. Protein expression was analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). The following vascular examinations were performed: Pulse-wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AIX), carotid-intima media thickness (cIMT).RESULTS: Three principal components were obtained using PCA to analyze the protein expression. None of the obtained principal components correlated significantly with AIX or cIMT. One of the components, explaining 6% of the total variance of the data, was significantly correlated with PWV. Upon examination of the proteins with the highest factor loadings on this component independently in a multivariable model, adjusting for established CVD risk biomarkers, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2) were found to independently, negatively correlate with PWV. Among the established risk factors included in the multivariable model, age was significantly and adversely correlated with all vascular measurements.CONCLUSIONS: In this population of healthy, young adults, groups of CVD related proteins correlate with PWV, but not AIX or cIMT. This group of proteins, of which IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 were independently, negatively correlated in a multivariable model with PWV, could have benificial effects on vascular stiffness. The robust association between age and PWV, AIX and cIMT provide insight into the impact of aging on the vasculature, which is detectable even in a population of young, healthy, non-smoking individuals of ages spanning only 8 years.
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| 5. |
- Dimberg, Jan, et al.
(författare)
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Emerging role and clinical implication of mRNA scavenger decapping enzyme in colorectal cancer
- 2023
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Ingår i: Pathology, Research and Practice. - : Elsevier. - 0344-0338 .- 1618-0631. ; 253
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Turnover of RNA is a regulated process that in part controls gene expression. This process is partly controlled by the scavenger decapping enzyme (DcpS). This study aimed to investigate the expression of DcpS in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue, to evaluate its prognostic significance in patients with CRC and to investigate potentially targeted genes by DcpS.METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis was used to determine localization of DcpS in normal and CRC tissue, western blot analysis for quantification of protein expression and qPCR for mRNA expression in normal and CRC tissue and expression in cell lines after silencing using siRNA. Gene array analysis was used to study regulation of genes after silencing of DcpS. Proliferation was studied using BRDU.RESULTS: DcpS expression was localized to the epithelial cells of both control and cancer tissue. Tumor and paired control tissue samples from 100 patients who underwent surgical resection for primary colorectal adenocarcinomas were utilized. mRNA and protein of DcpS was significantly up-regulated in the patients with CRC and the mRNA level was higher in rectal cancer tissue compared to colon cancer tissue (p < 0.05). Lowest tertile levels of DcpS mRNA in cancer tissue was associated with a decreased cancer-specific survival rate with a hazard ratio (HR) of 4.7 (95% CI=1.02-12.3), independent of disease stage. The low level of DcpS mRNA was a predictor of poorer survival in patients with rectal and disseminated cancer and in patients receiving adjuvant treatment (p < 0.05). After silencing DcpS in Caco-2 cancer cells, altered expression of several genes associated with RNA, cell cycle regulation, alternative splicing and microRNA was observed and resulted in 23% increase in proliferation.CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that DcpS has potential as a prognostic factor for CRC but further studies in a broader cohort are warranted to evaluate the significance of the findings in the clinic.
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| 6. |
- Lindholm, Heléne, et al.
(författare)
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Na+/K+‑ATPase subunit α3 expression is associated with the efficacy of digitoxin treatment in pancreatic cancer cells
- 2022
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Ingår i: Medicine International. - : Spandidos Publications. - 2754-3242 .- 2754-1304. ; 2:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The alpha subunits (ATP1A1-3) of Na+/K+-ATPase binds digitoxin with varying affinity. The expression levels of these subunits dictate the anticancer effects of digitoxin. In the present study, three pancreatic cancer cell lines, AsPC-1, Panc-1 and CFPAC-1, were used to investigate the effects of digitoxin in relation to the expression of the subunits ATP1A1 and ATP1A3. Cell viability and intracellular calcium concentrations was measured in relation to the gene and protein expression of ATP1A1 and ATP1A3. Digitoxin was used to treat the cells at concentrations of 1-100 nM, and the intracellular calcium concentrations increased in a concentration-dependent manner in the Panc-1 and in the CFPAC-1 cells with treatment at 100 nM. In the AsPC-1 cells only the supraphysiological concentration of digitoxin (100 nM) resulted in a decrease in the number of viable cells (unviable cells increased to 22%), whereas it had no effect on intracellular calcium levels. The number of viable Panc-1 and CFPAC-1 cells decreased after digitoxin treatment at 25-100 nM (unviable Panc-1 cells increased to 33-59%; unviable CFPAC-1 cells increased to 22-56%). Digitoxin treatment also affected the transcriptional expression of the ATP1A1 and ATP1A3 subunits. In Panc-1 cells, ATP1A3 gene expression was negatively associated with the digitoxin concentration (25-100 nM). In the AsPC-1 and CFPAC-1 cells, the expression of the ATP1A1 gene increased in the cells treated with the 100 nM digitoxin concentration. The protein expression of ATP1A1 and ATP1A3 was not altered with digitoxin treatment. The basal protein expression of ATP1A1 was high in the AsPC-1 and CFPAC-1 cells, compared to the Panc-1 cells, in contrast to the basal expression of ATP1A3, which was higher in the Panc-1 cells, compared to the other pancreatic cancer cells used. On the whole, the present study demonstrates that the high expression of ATP1A3 renders pancreatic cancer cells more susceptible to digitoxin-induced cell death. The findings suggest that the expression of ATP1A3 may be used as a marker for tumor sensitivity to digitoxin treatment, where a high expression of ATP1A3 is favorable for the anticancer effects of digitoxin.
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| 7. |
- Lindholm, Heléne
(författare)
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Repurposing digitoxin in the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma : genotypic and phenotypic features as biomarkers for digitoxin sensitivity in vitro
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The incidence of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is increasing worldwide. The dismal prognosis and lack of effective treatments urges for increased research efforts in developing new treatment regimens. Since the development of new cancer treatments are expensive and time consuming, repurposing drugs is preferable when possible. This strategy will also be of great value for people in low income countries, to increase the availability of effective cancer treatments to affordable costs. Digitoxin, a cardiac glycoside, has been shown to have anti-cancer effects. It binds to the α subunit of the Na+/K+-ATPase, leading to increased concentrations of intracellular calcium and eventually cell death. There seems also to be other mechanisms elicited in cancer cells by digitoxin. The α subunit occurs in three isoforms, of which α3 has the highest affinity to digitoxin and frequently found over-expressed in tumor cells compared to normal cells.PDAC cancer cells, both cell lines and tumors, differ in their genotype and in the metabolic subtype, proliferation rate and inflammatory status. To be able to individualize treatment regimens it is important to be aware of the specific vulnerabilities (genotypic or phenotypic characteristics increasing the sensitivity to digitoxin) of each PDAC tumor/cell line. This research aims to investigate the potential of using digitoxin as an anti-cancer treatment in PDAC, and analyze its effects on cell viability, metabolism and inflammatory status in PDAC cell lines in vitro with the goal to find biomarkers for digitoxin sensitivity.The analyses of the effects of digitoxin was performed in five cell lines derived from PDAC tumors, either from primary tumors or metastases. Cell lines derived from PDAC are sensitive to digitoxin treatment to different degrees. High expression of α3 seems to be indicative for digitoxin sensitivity, as do a high proliferation rate seen in cell lines derived from primary tumors. Both subunit expression and proliferation rate should be further evaluated in PDAC tumors to confirm their potential to be used as biomarkers clinically.In the hunt for the working mechanism behind the anti-cancer effects of digitoxin, the choline pathway, a pathway commonly affected in tumors was enlightened in the metabolomics study, affected in all five cell lines tested. Choline metabolites are important for maintaining the cell membrane and are involved in energy metabolism using lipids. Digitoxin induced an up-regulation of choline and glycerophosphocholine, which rendered us to propose a novel theory about possible interactions between two functional complexes in the cell membrane, the Na+/K+-ATPase/EGFR/c-Src and the EGFR/c-Src – Chkα. The hypothesis is that when digitoxin binds to the Na+/K+-ATPase it leads to inactivation of Chkα with a subsequent decrease in the synthesis of phosphocholine and phosphatidylcholine. Since cancer cells rely on abundance of choline metabolites, we believe an inhibition of this pathway to be deleterious for these cells.Finally, we conclude that digitoxin has great potential as an anti-cancer treatment for some patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. To optimize treatment results, a thorough investigation of the tumor genotype and phenotype must be done for each patient. To further increase treatment success, combination of digitoxin with other treatments for synergistic effects could be beneficial.
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| 8. |
- Shamoun, Levar, et al.
(författare)
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Protein expression and genetic variation of IL32 and association with colorectal cancer in Swedish patients
- 2018
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Ingår i: Anticancer Research. - : International Institute of Anticancer Research. - 0250-7005 .- 1791-7530. ; 38:1, s. 321-328
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Interleukin 32 (IL32) is an intracellular pluripotent cytokine produced by epithelial cells, monocytes, T-lymphocytes and natural killer cells and seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of cancer and inflammatory diseases. Our purpose was to assess the role of protein expression and genetic polymorphisms of IL32 in colorectal cancer (CRC) susceptibility.Materials and Methods: To gain insight into clinical significance of IL32 in Swedish patients with CRC, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we determined whether IL32 protein level is altered in CRC tissue (n=75) compared with paired normal tissue and in plasma from patients with CRC (n=94) compared with controls (n=81). The expression of IL32 protein was confirmed by immunohistochemistry (n=73). We used Luminex technology to investigate protein levels of the cytokines IL6, tumor necrosis factor-a (TNFa) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to relate these to IL32 levels in CRC tissue. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs28372698, rs12934561, rs4786370) of the IL32 gene have been proposed as modifiers for different diseases. The present study evaluated the susceptibility of patients possessing these SNPs to CRC. Using TaqMan SNP genotyping assays, these SNPs were screened in Swedish patients with CRC (n=465) and healthy controls (n=331).Results: We found no significant differences in the genotypic frequencies between the patients and healthy controls and no relation to survival for any of the SNPs. However, the SNP rs12934561 was statisticalLY significant associated with older patients. IL32 protein was up-regulated in CRC tissue and related to IL6, TNFa, and VEGF, and seems to be modulated by SNP rs28372698. The IL32 protein level in CRC tissue also reflects both disseminated disease and location. Conclusion. Our results suggest that altered IL32 protein concentrations in CRC tissue and genotypic variants of IL32 are related to disseminated CRC.
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| 9. |
- Lindholm, Heléne, et al.
(författare)
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Digitoxin Affects Metabolism, ROS Production and Proliferation in Pancreatic Cancer Cells Differently Depending on the Cell Phenotype
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. - : MDPI. - 1661-6596 .- 1422-0067. ; 23:15, s. 1-14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Digitoxin has repeatedly shown to have negative effects on cancer cell viability; however, the actual mechanism is still unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of digitoxin (1-100 nM) in four pancreatic cancer cell lines, BxPC-3, CFPAC-1, Panc-1, and AsPC-1. The cell lines differ in their KRAS/BRAF mutational status and primary tumor or metastasis origin. We could detect differences in the basal rates of cell proliferation, glycolysis, and ROS production, giving the cell lines different phenotypes. Digitoxin treatment induced apoptosis in all four cell lines, but to different degrees. Cells derived from primary tumors (Panc-1 and BxPC-3) were highly proliferating with a high proportion of cells in the S/G2 phase, and were more sensitive to digitoxin treatment than the cell lines derived from metastases (CFPAC-1 and AsPC-1), with a high proportion of cells in G0/G1. In addition, the effects of digitoxin on the rate of glycolysis, ROS production, and proliferation were dependent on the basal metabolism and origin of the cells. The KRAS downstream signaling pathways were not altered by digitoxin treatment, thus the effects exerted by digitoxin were probably disconnected from these signaling pathways. We conclude that digitoxin is a promising treatment in highly proliferating pancreatic tumors.
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| 10. |
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