ELL associated factor 2 is a potential diagnostic and prognostic indicator: evidence from the in silico and in vitro experiments.

Due to the lack of sensitive biomarkers, cancer disease kill 9.6 million individuals each year around the globe. The present study aimed to explore the association between ELL Associated Factor 2 (EAF2) expression and its diagnostic and prognostic landscape across different human cancers using an in silico and in vitro approach. To achieve the defined goals of this study, we used the following online sources: UALCAN, KM plotter, TNMplot, cBioPortal, STRING, DAVID, MuTarget, Cytoscape, and CTD. In addition to this, we also used additional The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets via TIMER2, GENT2, and GEPIA to confirm the expression of EAF2 on additional cohorts. Finally, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and targeted bisulfite sequencing (bisulfite-seq) techniques-based analysis using A549, ABC-1, EBC-1, LK-2 lung cancer cell lines, and MRC-9 normal control lung cell line for further validation of the results. On balance, EAF2 was elevated in 19 types of human cancers and its up-regulation was significantly correlated with shorter overall survival (OS), relapse-free survival (RFS), and metastasis in Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (LIHC) and Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LUSC) patients. We further evaluated that EAF2 expression was also elevated across LIHC and LUSC patients belonging to different clinicopathological features. Through pathway analysis, EAF2 associations were observed with four important pathways. Moreover, some worth noticing correlations were also documented between EAF2 expression and its promoter methylation level, genetic alterations, other mutant genes, tumor purity, and different immune cells infiltration. The higher EAF2 expression contributes significantly to the tumorigenesis and metastasis of LIHC and LUSC. Therefore, it can be used as a common biomarker in these cancers.

Development and validation of a sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS method for the measurement of ß-elemonic acid in rat plasma and tissues and its application to pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study.

ß-Elemonic acid is one of the main active ingredients isolated from Boswellia carterii Birdw. which has been reported to exhibit potential anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. There is few information about pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of ß-elemonic acid by now. In this study, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method has been developed and validated to determine ß-elemonic acid in rat plasma and various tissues after intragastric administration. Oleanolic acid was chosen as an internal standard (IS) and the plasma/tissue samples were pretreated with one-step liquid-liquid extraction. Chromatographic separation was accomplished on Eclipse Plus C18 analytical column (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.8 µm) utilizing a gradient mobile phase system consisting of water (with 0.1% ammonia-solution) and acetonitrile. ß-Elemonic acid and IS were detected and quantified using negative electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with transitions of m/z 453.3 â†’ 423.5 for ß-elemonic acid and m/z 455.3 â†’ 407.6 for IS. ß-Elemonic acid showed good linearity over the investigated concentration range (r > 0.9934) in rat plasma and tissue sample. The method was successfully applied for determination of ß-elemonic acid in bio-samples. A bimodal phenomenon appeared in the plasma concentration-time curve of the ß-elemonic acid. The highest tissue concentrations were found in the intestine including jejunum, ileum and colon.