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Modified nucleosides in human serum
E P Mitchell1, L Evans, P Schultz
1Department of Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia 65201.
Journal of Chromatography
|October 2, 1992
Summary
Modified nucleosides in serum, measured using advanced chromatography, show potential as cancer biomarkers. Elevated levels in cancer patients, regardless of age or sex, highlight their diagnostic value.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Oncology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Methylated purines and pyrimidines from transfer ribonucleic acid degradation are excreted abnormally in cancer patients.
- Modified nucleosides are potential indicators of cancer.
Purpose of the Study:
- Establish normal serum levels of ten modified nucleosides in healthy adults.
- Correlate modified nucleoside levels with age and sex.
- Determine if serum levels differ in patients with malignancies.
Main Methods:
- Utilized reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array measurement.
- Quantified ten modified nucleosides in serum samples.
- Analyzed serum from 37 healthy adults and patients with various malignancies.
Main Results:
- Normal serum nucleoside levels were reproducible and showed no significant variation by age or sex.
- Patients with malignancies exhibited consistently elevated serum nucleoside levels.
- Elevated levels were highest in patients with advanced-stage cancer.
Conclusions:
- Modified nucleosides in serum are reliable biomarkers for cancer detection.
- Serum nucleoside levels are independent of age and sex in healthy individuals.
- Increased serum nucleoside levels correlate with cancer presence and disease progression.