Effects of the incubation in vitro with sorbents on serum proteomic pattern and cytokine concentration in cancer patients during chemotherapy—preliminary results

Introduction Cancer and treatment by chemotherapy often produce abnormalities in endogenous cytokine, chemokine, and inflammatory mediator production. Sorbent-based adsorption therapies have been used to remove cytokines in diverse human diseases. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of chemotherapy on serum proteomic pattern and cytokine concentration, and to evaluate the ex vivo feasibility of using sorbents to remove cytokines, chemokines and other proteins in adult cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with fluorouracil or carboplatin-taxane combinations. Patients and methods Serum samples of three female adult patients (one affected by rectal cancer and two by ovarian cancer) were examined before and on the fourth day of the first cycle of chemotherapy with fluorouracil (rectal cancer patient) or carboplatin-taxane combination (ovarian cancer patients). The analysis was performed, by means of luminex technology and with a proteomic approach, on native serum samples, and on the same sera after 2 hours of in vitro incubation with a synthetic based styrenic divinylbenzene resin. Results Chemotherapy determined variable effects on serum concentration of cytokines, while the incubation in vitro of patients serum samples with the resin induced a significant decrease (> 80%) in serum concentration of different chemokines, cytokines, growth factors and proteins. The proteomic approach, using SDS PAGE and 2-DE highlighted differences in protein expression between sera from healthy controls and cancer patients. Proteomic analysis demonstrated also variations in the expression of proteins, particularly those with low-molecular weight, due to chemotherapy. Finally, the incubation in vitro of serum samples with sorbents induced a general reduction of protein expression. Within the cancer patients maps, 10 spots were chosen for identification with MALDI-TOF analysis. Conclusion The incubation in vitro with sorbents normalized the over-expression of different proteins and cytokines induced by chemotherapy, suggesting further evaluation as a possible adjuvant treatment.