Cytokine concentration in peripheral blood of patients with colorectal cancer

Wenchang Li; Fangqian Chen; Han Gao; Zhuoqing Xu; Yu Zhou; Shenjie Wang; Zeping Lv; Yuchen Zhang; Zifeng Xu; Jianting Huo; Jingkun Zhao; Yaping Zong; Wenqing Feng; Xiaohui Shen; Zhiyuan Wu; Aiguo Lu

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1175513

Cytokine concentration in peripheral blood of patients with colorectal cancer

Front Immunol. 2023 Mar 30:14:1175513. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1175513. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Wenchang Li^{1

2

3}, Fangqian Chen^{1

3

4}, Han Gao^{1

3

4}, Zhuoqing Xu^{1

3

4}, Yu Zhou², Shenjie Wang², Zeping Lv^{1

4}, Yuchen Zhang^{1

3

4}, Zifeng Xu^{1

3

4}, Jianting Huo^{1

3

4}, Jingkun Zhao^{1

4}, Yaping Zong^{1

4}, Wenqing Feng^{1

3

4}, Xiaohui Shen¹, Zhiyuan Wu², Aiguo Lu^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
³ Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Shanghai Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Ruijin hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Introduction: The role of tumour secretory cytokines and peripheral circulatory cytokines in tumour progression has received increasing attention; however, the role of tumour-related inflammatory cytokines in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. In this study, the concentrations of various cytokines in the peripheral blood of healthy controls and patients with CRC at different stages were compared.

Methods: Peripheral blood samples from 4 healthy participants and 22 colorectal cancer patients were examined. Luminex beads were used to evaluate concentration levels of 40 inflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood samples.

Results: In peripheral blood, compared with healthy controls and early stage (I + II) CRC patients, advanced CRC (III + IV) patients had increased concentrations of mononuclear/macrophage chemotactic-related proteins (CCL7, CCL8, CCL15, CCL2, and MIF), M2 polarization-related factors (IL-1β, IL-4), neutrophil chemotactic and N2 polarization-related cytokines (CXCL2, CXCL5, CXCL6, IL-8), dendritic cells (DCs) chemotactic-related proteins (CCL19, CCL20, and CCL21), Natural killer (NK) cell related cytokines (CXCL9, CXCL10), Th2 cell-related cytokines (CCL1, CCL11, CCL26), CXCL12, IL-2, CCL25, and CCL27, and decreased IFN-γ and CX3CL1 concentrations. The differential upregulation of cytokines in peripheral blood was mainly concentrated in CRC patients with distant metastasis and was related to the size of the primary tumour; however, there was no significant correlation between cytokine levels in peripheral blood and the propensity and mechanism of lymph node metastasis.

Discussion: Different types of immune cells may share the same chemokine receptors and can co-localise in response to the same chemokines and exert synergistic pro-tumour or anti-tumour functions in the tumour microenvironment. Chemokines and cytokines affect tumour metastasis and prognosis and may be potential targets for treatment.

Keywords: Luminex; colorectal cancer; cytokines; peripheral blood; tumor immune microenvironment.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Colorectal Neoplasms* / pathology
Cytokines* / metabolism
Humans
Macrophages / metabolism
Tumor Microenvironment

Substances

Cytokines

Grants and funding

This study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (81871933, 81802326, 62173223). The funders of this project had no role in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript.