Avaliação da atividade de ectonucleotidases e marcadores inflamatórios em pacientes com adenocarcinoma colorretal

Abstract

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most incident malignant tumor and the second most lethal in the world population. Inflammatory processes and purinergic signaling can directly influence colorectal carcinogenesis, as well as tumor progression. The enzymatic action of ectonucleotidases and tissue response to adenine nucleotides and nucleosides play a fundamentally important role in this context and should be increasingly explored. Objective: Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the activity of purinergic system enzymes and the levels of inflammatory markers in patients with CRC. Methodology: For the study, 32 patients diagnosed with CRC, before the beginning of any therapeutic intervention, and 27 control subjects were selected. The activities of NTPDase and adenosine deaminase (ADA) enzymes in lymphocytes, as well as serum levels of ATP and C-reactive protein (CRP) were evaluated. The collection of biological material from patients was carried out on the premises of the Hospital Regional do Oeste, located in Chapecó/SC. The project was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Fronteira Sul (UFFS), under protocol number: 87508918.4.0000.5564. Results: The activities of NTPDase, for ATP hydrolysis, and ADA were significantly higher in the CRC group compared to the control group. With regard to serum ATP levels, they were statistically lower in the patient group compared to the control group, while CRP levels in CRC patients were significantly higher than in control subjects (p<0.05). Discussion: Hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment induces HIF-1 expression, which upregulates NTPDase activity, which explains its increase with low ATP levels. The increased ADA activity may be due to a compensatory mechanism to CRC progression. Decreased serum ATP in CRC patients may be due to degradation by other enzymes, while elevated CRP levels indicate inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. Conclusion: The results suggest that CCR alters the activity of purinergic system enzymes in lymphocytes. It is hoped that this work can contribute to a better understanding of the role of the purinergic system and inflammatory biomarkers in the pathophysiology of RCC, so that they become an important diagnostic and therapeutic tool.