• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.159-170
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• 2017

The development of biomarkers of reproductive medicine is still in its infancy because many black boxes are still present in reproductive medicine. Novel approaches to human infertility diagnostics and treatment must be developed because reproductive medicine has lagged behind in the implementation of biomarkers in clinical medicine. Despite the dearth of the available literature, the current rapid pace of publications suggests that this gap will soon be filled therefore; this review is a $pr\acute{e}cis$ of the research that has been done so far and will provide a basis for the development of biomarkers in reproductive medicine.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.349-355
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• 2009

Biomarkers are characteristic biological properties that can be detected and measured in a variety of biological matrices in the human body, including the blood and tissue, to give an indication of whether there is a threat of disease, if a disease already exists, or how such a disease may develop in an individual case. Along the continuum from exposure to clinical disease and progression, exposure, internal dose, biologically effective dose, early biological effect, altered structure and/or function, clinical disease, and disease progression can potentially be observed and quantified using biomarkers. While the traditional discovery of biomarkers has been a slow process, the advent of molecular and genomic medicine has resulted in explosive growth in the discovery of new biomarkers. In this review, issues in evaluating biomarkers will be discussed and the biomarkers of environmental exposure, early biologic effect, and susceptibility identified and validated in epidemiological studies will be summarized. The spectrum of genomic approaches currently used to identify and apply biomarkers and strategies to validate genomic biomarkers will also be discussed.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.418-434
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• 2010

As concerns regarding water pollution grow, the need increases for a fast and accurate assessment of ecological risk. In this context, many studies have been conducted to identify biomarkers which can sensitively indicate exposure to and effects of various contaminants in a water environment. However, the utility of most such biomarkers in the real water environment is not yet validated. In this paper, we conducted a thorough review of publications that were related to developing or evaluating molecular and biochemical biomarkers of freshwater fish in ecological risk assessment, and evaluated whether these biomarkers of interest could link to the effects on higher biological levels, such as histopathology and above. Biomarkers of interest included those associated with metabolism, oxidative stress, reproduction and endocrine disruption, genotoxicity, and defense against heavy metal exposure. We found that, when used alone, most molecular and biochemical biomarkers are not sufficient to understand the effects of toxic substances in higher biological levels, due to defense or acclimation mechanisms of organisms. Moreover, some biomarkers respond not only to hazardous substances but also to the changes in water quality and disease outbreak. Molecular and biochemical biomarkers may be most useful in understanding the potential biological effects of toxic compounds when used in parallel with relevant endpoints of higher biological levels.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.10
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• pp.685-692
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• 2008

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy in the world. Because CRC develops slowly from removable precancerous lesions, detection of the disease at an early stage during regular health examinations can reduce both the incidence and mortality of the disease. Although sigmoidoscopy offers significant improvements in the detection rate of CRC, its diagnostic value is limited by its high costs and inconvenience. Therefore, there is a compelling need for the identification of noninvasive biomarkers that can enable earlier detection of CRC. Accordingly, many validation studies have been conducted to evaluate genetic, epigenetic or protein markers that can be detected in the stool or in serum. Currently, the fecal-occult blood test is the most widely used method of screening for CRC. However, advances in genomics and proteomics combined with developments in other relevant fields will lead to the discovery of novel non invasive biomarkers whose usefulness will be tested in larger validation studies. Here, non-invasive molecular biomarkers that are currently used in clinical settings and have the potential for use as CRC biomarkers are discussed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7489-7497
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• 2014

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs of 20-24 nucleotides that play important roles in carcinogenesis. Accordingly, miRNAs control numerous cancer-relevant biological events such as cell proliferation, cell cycle control, metabolism and apoptosis. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge and concepts concerning the biogenesis of miRNAs, miRNA roles in cancer and their potential as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis including the regulation of key cancer-related pathways, such as cell cycle control and miRNA dysregulation. Moreover, microRNA molecules are already receiving the attention of world researchers as therapeutic targets and agents. Therefore, in-depth knowledge of microRNAs has the potential not only to identify their roles in cancer, but also to exploit them as potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and identify therapeutic targets for new drug discovery.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.10-19
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• 2020

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized by the accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. The AD pathophysiology entails chronic inflammation involving innate immune cells including microglia, astrocytes, and other peripheral blood cells. Inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and complements are also linked to AD pathogenesis. Despite increasing evidence supporting the association between abnormal inflammation and AD, no well-established inflammatory biomarkers are currently available for AD. Since many reports have shown that abnormal inflammation precedes the outbreak of the disease, non-invasive and readily available peripheral inflammatory biomarkers should be considered as possible biomarkers for early diagnosis of AD. In this minireview, we introduce the peripheral biomarker candidates related to abnormal inflammation in AD and discuss their possible molecular mechanisms. Furthermore, we also summarize the current state of inflammatory biomarker research in clinical practice and molecular diagnostics. We believe this review will provide new insights into biomarker candidates for the early diagnosis of AD with systemic relevance to inflammation during AD pathogenesis.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.158-164
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• 2014

Substance P and neuropeptide Y were discovered as early diagnostic biomarkers of acute myocardial infarction in Korean patients and confirmed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We screened 12 peptides from the sera of Korean acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients and detected 3 peptides (neuropeptide Y, substance P, and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) to be elevated from patients' sera by liquid chromatography mass/mass spectrometry. The elevated concentration of 3 peptides was confirmed by ELISA. The screening results revealed the substance P, neuropeptide Y, and pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (47-76) concentrations were higher in patients' sera than in healthy controls. The sensitivity and specificity of substance P for AMI diagnostic marker were 80% and 83%, respectively, and those of neuropeptide Y were 87% and 90%, respectively compared to healthy controls. These results suggest that substance P and neuropeptide Y could be used as early diagnostic biomarkers in patients with AMI.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.47-56
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• 2016

The identification of biomarkers for the early detection of acute kidney injury (AKI) is clinically important. Acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill patients is closely associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Conventional biomarkers, such as serum creatinine (SCr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), are frequently used to diagnose AKI. However, these biomarkers increase only after significant structural damage has occurred. Recent efforts have focused on identification and validation of new noninvasive biomarkers for the early detection of AKI, prior to extensive structural damage. Furthermore, AKI biomarkers can provide valuable insight into the molecular mechanisms of this complex and heterogeneous disease. Our previous study suggested that pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), which is excreted in the urine, is a sensitive biomarker for nephrotoxicity. To appropriately and optimally utilize PKM2 as a biomarker for AKI requires its complete characterization. This review highlights the major studies that have addressed the diagnostic and prognostic predictive power of biomarkers for AKI and assesses the potential usage of PKM2 as an early biomarker for AKI. We summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the role of biomarkers and the molecular and cellular mechanisms of AKI. This review will elucidate the biological basis of specific biomarkers that will contribute to improving the early detection and diagnosis of AKI.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2015

With advances in the understanding of the biology and genetics of colorectal cancer (CRC), diagnostic biomarkers that may predict the existence or future presence of cancer or a hereditary condition, and prognostic and treatment biomarkers that may direct the approach to therapy have been developed. Biomarkers can be ascertained and assayed from any tissue that may demonstrate the diagnostic or prognostic value, including from blood cells, epithelial cells via buccal swab, fresh or archival cancer tissue, as well as from cells shed into fecal material. For CRC, current examples of biomarkers for screening and surveillance include germline testing for suspected hereditary CRC syndromes, and stool DNA tests for screening average at-risk patients. Molecular biomarkers for CRC that may alter patient care and treatment include the presence or absence of microsatellite instability, the presence or absence of mutant KRAS, BRAF or PIK3CA, and the level of expression of 15-PGDH in the colorectal mucosa. Molecularly targeted therapies and some general therapeutic approaches rely on biomarker information. Additional novel biomarkers are on the horizon that will undoubtedly further the approach to precision or individualized medicine.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.59-66
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• 2013

A metabolomics study was conducted to identify urinary biomarkers for breast cancer, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), analyzed by principal components analysis (PCA) as well as a partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) for a metabolic pattern analysis. To find potential biomarkers, urine samples were collected from before- and after-mastectomy of breast cancer patients and healthy controls. Androgens, corticoids, estrogens, nucleosides, and polyols were quantitatively measured and urinary metabolic profiles were constructed through PCA and PLS-DA. The possible biomarkers were discriminated from quantified targeted metabolites with a metabolic pattern analysis and subsequent screening. We identified two biomarkers for breast cancer in urine, ${\beta}$-cortol and 5-methyl-2-deoxycytidine, which were categorized at significant levels in a student t-test (p-value < 0.05). The concentrations of these metabolites in breast cancer patients significantly increased relative to those of controls and patients after mastectomy. Biomarkers identified in this study were highly related to metabolites causing oxidative DNA damage in the endogenous metabolism. These biomarkers are not only useful for diagnostics and patient stratification but can be mapped on a biochemical chart to identify the corresponding enzyme for target identification via metabolomics.