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Folate status and S-adenosylmethionine/S-adenosylhomocysteine ratio in colorectal adenocarcinoma in humans

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 62, pages 295–298 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Objectives:

This study reports the influence of colorectal neoplasia on methylation intermediates and folate concentrations in human colonic mucosa, as well as systemic measures of folate status, to examine biomarkers and possible mechanisms of folate-related carcinogenesis.

Subjects:

A total of 47 patients were selected from those previously diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the colorectum undergoing surgery. For each individual, we obtained a biopsy of the adenocarcinoma and a biopsy of normal appearing mucosa, to perform an intra-individual comparison.

Results:

The ‘methylation’ ratio (S-adenosylmethionine/S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH)) was lower in pathological tissue vs normal mucosa (P=0.08), mainly due to a much higher SAH concentration (P<0.005). Colonic folate concentration was significantly diminished in malignant tissue (P<0.0001). Plasma homocysteine concentration was within the normal to high range, and folate and vitamin B12 plasma concentrations were within the low to normal range as compared with normative values.

Conclusion:

Our results contribute to the hypothesis that altered DNA methylation and methyl metabolism is associated with colorectal neoplasia.

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Abbreviations

SAH=:

S-adenosylhomocysteine

SAM=:

S-adenosylmethionine

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Acknowledgements

This research was granted by the Regional Government, Comunidad de Madrid Research Plan, Spain (contract no. 08.1/0041.2/98). We thank the fellows from Servicio de Cirugía general y de Aparato Digestivo from Hospital Fundación Jiménez Díaz (Madrid, Spain) for their collaboration in patient recruitment, surgery and sample collection. We also acknowledge the Vitamin Metabolism Laboratory, from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (Boston, MA, USA), for their technical assistance in folate determinations.

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  1. Departamento de Nutrición, Bromatología y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad San Pablo CEU, Madrid, Spain

    E Alonso-Aperte, M P González, R Póo-Prieto & G Varela-Moreiras

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  1. E Alonso-Aperte
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  2. M P González
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  4. G Varela-Moreiras
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Correspondence to G Varela-Moreiras.

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Alonso-Aperte, E., González, M., Póo-Prieto, R. et al. Folate status and S-adenosylmethionine/S-adenosylhomocysteine ratio in colorectal adenocarcinoma in humans. Eur J Clin Nutr 62, 295–298 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602722

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