Serum lysophospholipase D/autotaxin may be a new nutritional assessment marker: study on prostate cancer patients

Background It is now established that the bioactive lipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) contributes to cancer initiation, progression and metastasis, including those of prostate cancer. LPA is produced in the serum and plasma mainly by conversion from lysophospholipids through the action of lysophospholipase D (lysoPLD), which is identical to the soluble form of autotaxin (ATX) originally isolated as a tumour cell motility-stimulating factor. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of lysoPLD/ ATX activity as a diagnostic marker. Methods The serum lysoPLD activity, assessed by measuring choline liberation from the substrate lysophosphatidylcholine, was measured in patients with prostate cancer and compared with the concentrations of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and conventional nutritional assessment markers. Results The serum lysoPLD activity in prostate cancer patients was not statistically different from that in the controls, Consistent with this, there was no correlation between the serum lysoPLD activity and the serum PSA concentrations. However, the lysoPLD/ATX activity did decrease after operation in the prostate cancer patients and seemed to reflect the postoperative damage or the nutritional status. Conclusions We postulate that while the serum lysoPLD/ATX may not be a marker of prostate cancer, it promises to instead be a new marker of nutritional status.