Stage-Dependent Levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 in the Prognosis of Colorectal Cancer

Ivana Večurkovská; Jana Mašlanková; Vladimíra Tomečková; Jana Kaťuchová; Terézia Kisková; Lucia Fröhlichová; Mária Mareková; Marek Stupák

doi:10.3390/biomedicines11071839

Stage-Dependent Levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 in the Prognosis of Colorectal Cancer

Biomedicines. 2023 Jun 26;11(7):1839. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines11071839.

Authors

Ivana Večurkovská¹, Jana Mašlanková¹, Vladimíra Tomečková¹, Jana Kaťuchová², Terézia Kisková³, Lucia Fröhlichová⁴, Mária Mareková¹, Marek Stupák¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafarik University in Košice, Trieda SNP 1, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia.
² 1st Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafarik University in Košice, Trieda SNP 1, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia.
³ Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafarik University in Košice, Trieda SNP 1, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia.
⁴ Department of Pathology, Louis Pasteur University Hospital, Rastislavova 43, 041 90 Košice, Slovakia.

Abstract

Purpose: The development of sensitive and non-invasive biomarkers for the early detection of CRC and determination of their role in the individual stages of CRC.

Methods: MMP-9 expression in serum and tissue, and BDNF expression in plasma were detected using the ELISA method. MMP-9 and BDNF in the tissue were also determined by immunohistochemical staining.

Results: To assess the balance between changes in survival and tumor progression, we compared BDNF/MMP-9 ratios in tissues of living and deceased individuals. The tissue BDNF/MMP-9 ratio (evaluated immunohistochemically) decreased significantly with the progression of the disease in living patients. The BDNF/MMP-9 ratio was statistically significantly reduced in stages II and III compared to the benign group. However, in deceased individuals, the ratio showed an opposite tendency.

Conclusion: The determination of the tissue BDNF/MMP9 ratio can be used as a prognostic biomarker of CRC.

Keywords: biomarkers; brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF); colorectal cancer; matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs).

Grants and funding

This research was funded by VEGA 1/0333/20 (Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and Slovak Academy of Sciences).