Identification of potential biomarkers for colorectal cancer in a mouse model using proteomics approachesSinožić, Tea (Avtor) extracellular matrixdecellularizationproteomicsstool biomarkercolorectal cancerAOM/DSSmouse modelEarly inflammation-driven tumorigenesis causes significant remodeling of the colonic extracellular matrix, making its proteomic composition an underexplored source of biomarker candidates. In this study, we characterized the proteomes of healthy and cancerous decellularized mouse colons and compared them to native tissues, confirming the decellularization enhances extracellular matrix protein detection. Colitis-associated colorectal cancer was modeled using the azoxymethane and dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS) mouse model. Colon tissues were decellularized and analyzed using mass spectrometry. Proteomic profiling of decellularized tissues identified 26 proteins upregulated in the AOM/DSS group. Among these, three proteins were not previously proposed as stool biomarkers. Two candidates, neutrophilic granule protein and interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3, were confirmed as upregulated in mice stool samples using ELISA. Their performance characteristics were evaluated against clinically used stool biomarkers, haemoglobin and faecal calprotectin, showing complementary results in multi-protein panels for discriminating between early tumorigenic stages and healthy controls, and in discerning inflammation-only changes. These findings demonstrate that decellularized colon proteomics are highly valuable for identifying previously unrecognized stool-detectable proteins that show potential as non-invasive early colorectal cancer biomarkers.20262026-07-03 07:52:22Neznano184286sl2021-2026