Background: Aristolochic acids (AAs) are potent mutagens commonly found in herbal plant-based remedies widely used throughout Asian countries.
Patients and methods: To understand whether AA is involved in the tumorigenesis of the oro-gastrointestinal tract, we used whole-exome sequencing to profile 54 cases of four distinct types of oro-gastrointestinal tract cancer (OGITC) from Taiwan.
Results: A diverse landscape of mutational signatures including those from DNA mismatch repair and reactive oxygen species was observed. APOBEC mutational signatures were observed in 60% of oral squamous cell carcinomas. Only one sample harbored AA mutational signatures, contradictory to prior reports of cancers from Taiwan. The metabolism of AA in the liver and urinary tract, transient exposure time, and high cell turnover rates at OGITC sites may explain our findings.
Conclusion: AA signatures in OGITCs are rare and unlikely to be a major contributing factor in oro-gastrointestinal tract tumorigenesis.
Keywords: aristolochic acid; carcinogens; genomics; mutagenesis; next generation sequencing.