Date of Publication

4-4-2025

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Chemistry

Subject Categories

Chemistry

College

College of Science

Department/Unit

Chemistry

Thesis Advisor

Rodolfo E. Sumayao, Jr.
Rafael A. Espiritu

Defense Panel Chair

Mariafe N. Calingacion

Defense Panel Member

Raymond S. Malabed
Rhowell N. Tiozon

Abstract/Summary

Colorectal cancer (CRC) in the Philippines poses a significant threat due to the healthcare system having limited screening programs. Survival is dependent on its stage at diagnosis, therefore early detection is key to preventing CRC. Present diagnostic tools are insufficient and have poor patient compliance, while cheaper and noninvasive ones have yet to be developed. Metabolomics can be used to identify relevant biomarkers as the metabolome is the closest description of the phenotype. This study utilized a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy-based approach for the metabolomic profiling of serum samples from Filipino CRC patients at different stages and healthy/non-diseased controls. Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares-discriminant analysis, (PLS-DA), and orthogonal PLS-DA (OPLS-DA) revealed distinct clustering of CRC versus control. The identified metabolites in CRC are mostly similar across stages—amino acids, lipids, and ketone bodies being the most common. Acetone, 3-hydroxybutyrate, and 2-hydroxybutyrate were found to be significantly upregulated in CRC. Pathway topology analysis identified phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis as the significantly dysregulated pathway compared to control. These findings aim to add to the understanding of disease etiology and pathogenesis of CRC. Validation of the dysregulated metabolites identified in this study in larger cohorts may lead to the development of novel biomarkers to support diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment strategies for CRC.

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Format

Electronic

Keywords

Colon (Anatomy)—Cancer--Philippines; Serum; Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Multivariate analysis; Functional analysis

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Embargo Period

4-22-2028

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Available for download on Saturday, April 22, 2028

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