BACKGROUND:Although microRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in spermatogenesis, little is known about seminal plasma miRNAs in infertile men. We investigated the profile of seminal plasma miRNAs in infertile men to identify miRNAs that are altered in infertility; we then evaluated their diagnostic value.
1 In many cancer patients, 5-fluorouracil (5-FUra) treatment is toxic and even causes death. Nevertheless, all patients are subjected to a standard therapy regimen because there is no reliable way to identify beforehand those patients who are predisposed to 5-FUra-induced toxicity. In this study, we identified the dihydrouracil/uracil (UH2/Ura) ratio in plasma or urine as a potential biomarker reflecting the activity of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), the rate-limiting enzyme in 5-FUra metabolism. 2 UH2/Ura ratios were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) in both healthy subjects (n ¼ 55) and in patients (n ¼ 20) diagnosed with grade I/II gestational trophoblastic tumours. In addition, rats (n ¼ 18) were used as an animal model to verify a correlation between UH2/Ura ratios and DPD levels in the liver. 3 A significant circadian rhythm was observed in UH2/Ura ratios in healthy subjects, whereas a disrupted rhythm occurred in cancer patients who were continuously infused with a high dose of 5-FUra. In rats, UH2/Ura ratios, liver DPD levels and PBMC DPD levels showed a definite circadian rhythm. Significant linear correlations with liver DPD levels were demonstrated for plasma UH2/Ura ratios (r ¼ 0.883, Po0.01), urine UH2/Ura ratios (r ¼ 0.832, Po0.01) and PBMC DPD levels (r ¼ 0.859, Po0.01). 4 The UH2/Ura ratio in biological fluid was significantly correlated with liver DPD levels; hence, this ratio could be a potential biomarker to identify patients with a deficiency in DPD.
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