Inflammatory metabolic profile of South African patients with prostate cancer.

TitleInflammatory metabolic profile of South African patients with prostate cancer.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2021
AuthorsCacciatore S, Wium M, Licari C, Ajayi-Smith A, Masieri L, Anderson C, Salukazana ASamkele, Kaestner L, Carini M, Carbone GM, Catapano CV, Loda M, Libermann TA, Zerbini LF
JournalCancer Metab
Volume9
Issue1
Pagination29
Date Published2021 Aug 03
ISSN2049-3002
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Men with African ancestry are more likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer (PCa) and to die from this disease. The study of PCa in the South African population represents an opportunity for biomedical research due to the high prevalence of aggressive PCa. While inflammation is known to play a significant role in PCa progression, its association with tumor stage in populations of African descent has not been explored in detail. Identification of new metabolic biomarkers of inflammation may improve diagnosis of patients with aggressive PCa.

METHODS: Plasma samples were profiled from 41 South African men with PCa using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. A total of 41 features, including metabolites, lipid classes, total protein, and the inflammatory NMR markers, GlycA, and GlycB, were quantified from each NMR spectrum. The Bruker's B.I.-LISA protocols were used to characterize 114 parameters related to the lipoproteins. The unsupervised KODAMA method was used to stratify the patients of our cohort based on their metabolic profile.

RESULTS: We found that the plasma of patients with very high risk, aggressive PCa and high level of C-reactive protein have a peculiar metabolic phenotype (metabotype) characterized by extremely high levels of GlycA and GlycB. The inflammatory processes linked to the higher level of GlycA and GlycB are characterized by a deep change of the plasma metabolome that may be used to improve the stratification of patients with PCa. We also identified a not previously known relationship between high values of VLDL and low level of GlycB in a different metabotype of patients characterized by lower-risk PCa.

CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, a portrait of the metabolic changes in African men with PCa has been delineated indicating a strong association between inflammation and metabolic profiles. Our findings indicate how the metabolic profile could be used to identify those patients with high level of inflammation, characterized by aggressive PCa and short life expectancy. Integrating a metabolomic analysis as a tool for patient stratification could be important for opening the door to the development of new therapies. Further investigations are needed to understand the prevalence of an inflammatory metabotype in patients with aggressive PCa.

DOI10.1186/s40170-021-00265-6
Alternate JournalCancer Metab
PubMed ID34344464
PubMed Central IDPMC8336341
Grant ListP30 CA006516 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
Arturo Falaschi fellowship / / International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology /
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