Proteases in gastrointestinal neoplastic diseases

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Oncology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Cysteine and serine proteases are implicated in cancer invasion and metastasis.
• Their role in gastric precancerous changes and gastrointestinal cancers requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate tissue and plasma/serum levels of cysteine and serine proteases in gastric cancer (GC), gastric precancerous changes (CAG), and colorectal cancer (CRC).
• To evaluate the prognostic impact of these proteases in GC and CRC.
• To assess their potential as tumor markers for early diagnosis of gastrointestinal tumors.

Main Methods:

• Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure protease antigen levels in tissue, plasma, and serum.
• Correlation analysis was performed with histomorphological parameters (grading, histotype).
• Multivariate analysis identified key prognostic factors.

Main Results:

• Significantly higher protease levels were found in GC and CAG tissues compared to normal tissues.
• Dysplastic CAG showed higher protease levels than non-dysplastic CAG.
• Protease levels correlated with grading and histotype in GC and CRC.
• Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (UPA) was a major prognostic factor in GC.
• Elevated plasma UPA and serum cathepsin B levels were observed in patients with gastrointestinal tumors.

Conclusions:

• Cysteine and serine proteases contribute to invasion, metastasis, and progression of gastric precancerous changes to cancer.
• These proteases serve as strong prognostic factors in GC and CRC.
• They hold potential as tumor markers for early detection of gastrointestinal cancers.