Mitochondrial apoptosis factors in colorectal cancer tissue

Purpose of the study . To examine the influence of specific factors on the apoptosis process in the mitochondria of cells located in various regions of the colon, with a focus on patients of both sexes. Patients and methods . The study included results obtained from 132 patients with T2–3N0M0 colon cancer, comprising 52 women and 80 men. Mitochondria were isolated from human intestinal and tumor tissue cells using differential centrifugation. The concentration of cytochrome C (ng/mg protein), AIF (pg/mg protein), Bcl-2 (pg/mg protein), and calcium (mM/mg protein) were determined. Results . In men, the calcium level in the mitochondria of both rectal tumor tissue and left colon tumor tissue was reduced relative to the corresponding tissue along the resection line, while the levels of Bcl-2, cytochrome C, and AIF were, on the contrary, in creased. At the same time, the calcium and Bcl-2 levels in the mitochondria of the right colon tumor tissue did not differ statistically significantly from the corresponding values in the right colon tissue along the resection line, while the levels of cytochrome C and AIF were increased by 2.0 and 3.1 times. The calcium level was observed to be reduced by a factor of 1.5 in the mitochondria of rectal tumor tissue cells in women, in comparison to the indicator in the rectal tissue along the resection line ( p < 0.05). The levels of Bcl-2, Cytochrome C, and AIF were increased by 1.5, 2.9, and 2.1 times, respectively. In the mitochondria of tumor tissue in the left half of the colon of women, the calcium level was reduced relative to the indicator in the tissue of the left half of the colon along the resection line by 1.6 times ( p < 0.05), and AIF was statistically significantly increased by 2.7 times. In women, the levels of cytochrome C and AIF in the mitochondria of tumor tissue cells in the right half of the colon were 2.0 and 1.7 times higher, respectively, than the corresponding indicators in the tissue of the right half of the colon along the resection line ( p < 0.05). Conclusion . A comprehensive analysis of the studied indicators suggests that apoptosis is suppressed in all regions of the large intestine in both men and women. Conversely, the processes of respiration and mitochondrial energy production appear to be enhanced.