Investigation of thiol-disulfide profile and high-mobility group box 1 protein levels in gastrointestinal malignancies

Cancer is a serious health problem that is common in humans and is highly complex to develop. Protein-coding genes responsible for the growth, differentiation and metastasis of cancer cells, tumor suppressor genes and some biomarkers are used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. Gastrointestinal cancers generally have a poor prognosis. Despite advancing diagnosis and treatment methods, survival rates are low. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of cancer is important. High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1), an important biomarker in cancers, regulates DNA and transcription. HMGB1 plays a role in cancer progression, angiogenesis, and metastasis development. Total thiol balance has an important role in antioxidant effect, inflammation, apaptosis and intracellular signal transduction pathways. In our study, we aimed to determine whether HMGB1 and thiol disulfide balance, which play an important role in the development of cancer, can be used as a biomarker in gastrointestinal cancers. Sixty-eight patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer and 40 healthy controls were included in the study. Native thiol, total thiol, dynamic disulfide and HMGB1 protein levels were measured in serum samples taken from the groups. When the patient and control groups were compared, HMGB1 (p <0.001), native thiol (p = 0.001) and total thiol (p = 0.013) levels were found to be statistically significantly higher in the patient group. As a result, it has been suggested that HMGB1 and thiol disulfide balance can be used in the diagnosis and treatment follow-up of gastrointestinal cancers.