Is there any possibility that selenium and homocysteine play a role in metastatic ability of colorectal tumors?

Abstract

Introduction: The data suggesting that metabolites and genes of homocysteine may play a role in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer are available in the literature. Similarly, selenium (Se) levels and SELENBP1, a member of the selenoprotein family characterized by selenium, have been evaluated for the etiopathology of colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we aimed to determine the levels of homocysteine (Hcy), Se, and SELENBP1 gene expression in tumor tissue according to histopathological stages in patients with CRC. Materials and methods: Hcy levels were determined by ELISA, and Se levels were determined by atomic absorption from serum samples isolated from peripheral blood of 56 colorectal cancer cases and 87 healthy controls. The expression of SELENBP1 gene in tumor samples was determined by RT-PCR method. The histopathological evaluations of the patients were evaluated according to the AJCC-8th staging system. Results: Se levels were 67.56 +/- 3.11 ng/mL in colorectal cancer patients and 61.92 +/- 21.26 ng/mL in control group patients (p = 0.078). Serum Hcy levels were 11.34 +/- 1.75 ng/mL in the patient group and 20.87 +/- 4.38 in the control group (p = 0.340). The SELENBP1 fold change was found to be 3.78 +/- 1.95-fold higher in tumor tissues compared to internal control (p = 0.755). Se levels were found to be 1.23 times lower in patients with distant metastasis than in patients without distant metastasis (p = 0.029). Similarly, Hcy level was found to be 1.79 times lower in patients with metastasis than in non-metastatic patients (p = 0.035). Conclusion: Our data suggest that low Se and Hcy levels may play an important role in the histopathological aspects of metastatic ability and CRC.