Purpose: Reliable biomarkers for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of various stages of liver cancer are lacking. In this study, we aim to detect the levels of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in serum exosomes of patients with different liver diseases using a sensitive method.
Patients and Methods: Exosomes were purified and validated. The expression of DEPs in exosomes from patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was validated by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) technology and Western blotting, and the biological functions were analyzed by bioinformatics analysis.
Results: A total of 11 DEPs were identified by PRM technology. Significantly higher level of haptoglobin (Hp) was detected in HCC patients as compared to LC and CHB patients. HCC patients had a significantly lower level of transthyretin (TTR) in the patients with CHB. Among the patients with HCC who undertaken surgery, the postoperative levels of CRP, SERPINA3 and Heparin cofactor 2 (SERPIND1) were significantly reduced compared to their respective preoperative levels.
Conclusion: Hp and TTR may be potential markers for early diagnosis of HCC. CRP, SERPINA3 and SERPIND1 may serve as potential prognostic indicators for HCC patients undertaken surgery.
Keywords: exosome, hepatocellular carcinoma, mass spectrometry, biomarker