Extracellular vesicles from biological fluids as potential markers in castration resistant prostate cancer

Purpose Extracellular vesicles (EV) secreted from cancer cells are present in various biological fluids, carrying distinctly different cellular components compared to normal cells, and have great potential to be used as markers for disease initiation, progression, and response to treatment. This under-utilised tool provides insights into a better understanding of prostate cancer. Methods EV from serum and urine of healthy men and castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients were isolated and characterised by transmission electron microscopy, particle size analysis, and western blot. Proteomic and cholesterol liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analyses were conducted. Results There was a successful enrichment of small EV/exosomes isolated from serum and urine. EV derived from biological fluids of CRPC patients had significant differences in composition when compared with those from healthy controls. Analysis of matched serum and urine samples from six prostate cancer patients revealed specific EV proteins common in both types of biological fluid for each patient. Conclusion Some of the EV proteins identified from our analyses have potential to be used as CRPC markers. These markers may depict a pattern in cancer progression through non-invasive sample collection.

Automated summary

EV secreted from cancer cells, which carry distinct cellular components, could be potential markers for disease initiation, progression, and treatment response. The study found significant differences in the composition of EV derived from biological fluids of castration-resistant prostate cancer patients compared to healthy controls. Specific EV proteins common in both serum and urine samples of prostate cancer patients were identified, suggesting their potential as markers for prostate cancer.