Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based metabolomics unveils the metabolic alterations in colon cancer mice during CT-guided radiofrequency ablation.

Colon cancer (CC) is a malignancy of the digestive tract, and computed tomography (CT)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been extensively adopted in cancer treatment. We aimed to explore the changes in fecal metabolism after CT-guided RFA in CC mice. The orthotopic CC mice received CT-guided RFA upon modeling. Subsequently, we quantified tumor volumes and weights to assess treatment efficacy. Next, because metabolomics is useful for evaluating therapeutic validity, feces were collected for metabolomics analysis. CT-guided RFA inhibited tumor growth effectively. Additionally, metabolomics results showed that the contents of bile acids and fatty acids were downregulated in CC mouse feces. Moreover, the levels of amino acids and carbohydrates were decreased while the levels of fatty acids, organic acids, phenols, pyridines and short-chain fatty acids were elevated in feces after CC mice received CT-guided RFA. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that those differential metabolites were closely related to fatty acids degradation and synthesis. CT-guided RFA possesses a strong ability to suppress CC development in mice, accompanied by a significant increase of fatty acid content in feces. This study proposes a novel approach and target for CC treatment, which provides hope for CC patients and establishes a solid basis for future in-depth studies.