ABSTRACT
Ovarian cancer is the second major lethal gynecologic malignancy in developing countries. This study aimed to characterize urinary micro-peptides as potential diagnostic biomarkers for ovarian cancer. In a prospective, longitudinal and case-controlled study and following informed consent, urine and plasma samples were collected from 112 women with histologically-proven ovarian cancer and 200 apparently healthy age-matched volunteers. Urinary micro-peptides were detected and sequenced using SDS-PAGE and Edman degradation technique. Serum CA125 was detected in less than a quarter (23.2%, 26/112) of patients. One or more urinary micro-peptides were detected in about two thirds of the patients (62.5%, 70/112). A total of 40 patients had three bands (57.1%, 40/70), while two bands (15 and 35 kDa) were detected in 28.6% (20/70) of the patients. Isolated 45 kDa band was seen in 14.3% (10/70). No urinary micro-peptide was detected in the volunteers. The 15 and 35 kDa bands disappeared after 6 months of regular chemotherapy, while the 45 kDa band persisted in 2.9% (2/70) of the patients after treatment. The micro-peptides were identified as: Catalase (45 kDa), α-1 Acid Glycoprotein (35 kDa) and Peroxiredoxin-2 (15 kDa). Urinary catalase, α-1 Acid Glycoprotein and Peroxiredoxin-2 can be useful biomarkers for early detection and treatment response of ovarian cancer.
ABSTRACT
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a serious parasitic disease for which control measures are limited and drug resistance is increasing. First and second generation vaccine candidates have not been successful. The goal of the present study was to select possibly immunogenic L. donovani donovani GP63 peptides using immunoinformatics tools and to test their immunogenicity in vitro. The amino acid sequence of L. donovani donovani GP63 [GenBank accession: ACT31401] was screened using the EpiMatrix algorithm for putative T cell epitopes that would bind to the most common HLA class II alleles (DRB1*1101 and DRB1*0804) among at-risk populations. Four T cell epitopes were selected from nine potential candidates. Stimulation of whole blood from healthy volunteers using the peptides separately produced mean IFN-γ and IL-4 levels that were not significantly different from negative controls, while the pooled peptides produced a moderate IFN-γ increase in some volunteers. However, mean IL-10 levels were significantly reduced for all individuals compared with controls. The immunogenicity of these epitopes may be harnessed most effectively in a vaccine delivered in combination with immune-modulating adjuvants.
