title: Assessment of p38α in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC): a potential blood protein marker of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Solid tumors involve an inflammatory microenvironment portrayed by immune cells playing role in cancer progression via inflammatory p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) molecule that produces pro-inflammatory cytokines-TNFα, IL1β and IL6. This study quantified and compared the expression of p38α in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HNSCC patients with the healthy subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  The PBMC were isolated from the 35 control and 83 HNSCC patients. The expression of p38α in PBMCs was assessed using surface plasmon resonance (SPR), ELISA and western blot analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  p38α levels were found to be over-expressed in HNSCC patients 0.98 ng/μl (95 % CI 0.95-1.02) as compared to controls 0.46 ng/μl (95 % CI 0.42-0.50) (p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  p38α is over-expressed in PBMCs of HNSCC patients and may play a role in the progression of cancer. This research may translate a protein marker for HNSCC to clinical oncologist for therapeutic intervention and use as a predictive marker.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: B Kalyan
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Mohanti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D048308:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 14 / Q000097:blood*; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D011379:Prognosis; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D048308:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 14
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