Can novel adipokines, asprosin and meteorin-like, be biomarkers for malignant mesothelioma?

Our plain-English summary of Can novel adipokines, asprosin and meteorin-like, be biomarkers for malignant mesothelioma?, by N. Kocaman, G. Artaş (Biotechnic & Histochemistry, 2020).

The study

• Authors: N. Kocaman, G. Artaş
• Journal: Biotechnic & Histochemistry
• Published: 2020;95(3):171-175
• Cited by: 33 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare tumor of serous surfaces that has a poor prognosis. Cancer is a multistage process by which cells undergo metabolic and behavioral changes that cause excessive and untimely proliferation. Asprosin (ASP) and meteorin-like (METRNL) are two peptides associated with glucose and energy metabolism. We used immunohistochemistry to investigate whether these peptides could be biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment of MM. We reviewed 30 cases of MM and 30 cases of reactive mesothelial hyperplasia (RMH); we used the cases with RMH as control group. The specimens were examined using immunohistochemical staining for ASP and METRNL. ASP and METRNL immunoreactivity was more prominent in the MM specimens than the RMH specimens. Therefore, ASP and METRNL potentially could be used as markers for differentiating MM from benign diseases.

In plain English

This laboratory study, from Firat University School of Medicine in Elazig, Turkey, asked whether two newly discovered proteins linked to glucose and energy metabolism, asprosin (ASP) and meteorin-like (METRNL), could help tell malignant mesothelioma (MM) apart from a non-cancerous condition called reactive mesothelial hyperplasia (RMH). The authors stained stored tissue samples from 30 people with MM and 30 people with RMH from the university's pathology department. They scored how widely and how strongly the stain appeared. The article does not report the participants' asbestos-exposure histories. Staining for both proteins was significantly greater in the MM samples (p less than 0.001). The average ASP score was 1.28 (range 0.80 to 2.70) in MM versus 0.41 (0.20 to 0.60) in RMH. The average METRNL score was 1.43 (0.40 to 2.70) versus 0.39 (0.20 to 0.60). The authors concluded that ASP and METRNL may be useful as biomarkers for diagnosing MM, and suggested that blocking ASP might contribute to treatment. They stated that larger studies are needed because their sample was small and they excluded cases of adenocarcinoma.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Laboratory (immunohistochemistry) study comparing stored tissue specimens from malignant mesothelioma cases with reactive mesothelial hyperplasia cases used as a control group
• Who was studied: 30 cases of malignant mesothelioma (14 women, 16 men) and 30 cases of reactive mesothelial hyperplasia (17 women, 13 men), with specimens from the Firat University Medical School Pathology Department, Turkey. Mean ages were about 62 to 65 years in each group. Collection dates were not given.
• Exposure: The article does not report the participants' asbestos-exposure histories. The study measured tissue staining for two proteins, asprosin (ASP) and meteorin-like (METRNL), scored as a histoscore (distribution of staining multiplied by intensity).
• Main results:
  • Asprosin staining was significantly greater in the malignant mesothelioma group than in the reactive mesothelial hyperplasia group (p < 0.001)
  • Meteorin-like staining was significantly greater in the malignant mesothelioma group than in the reactive mesothelial hyperplasia group (p < 0.001)
  • Reactive mesothelial hyperplasia group histoscores: ASP mean 0.41 (range 0.20 to 0.60); METRNL mean 0.39 (range 0.20 to 0.60)
  • Malignant mesothelioma group histoscores: ASP mean 1.28 (range 0.80 to 2.70); METRNL mean 1.43 (range 0.40 to 2.70)
• The authors' conclusion: The authors suggested that ASP and METRNL may be useful as biomarkers for diagnosing malignant mesothelioma. They also suggested that blocking ASP may contribute to treatment and that METRNL may have protective effects.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Small sample size; larger studies are needed
  • Cases with adenocarcinoma were excluded

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Biomarker, Malignant Mesothelioma, Prognosis, Immunohistochemistry, Reactive Mesothelial Hyperplasia.

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