The chemotactic response of Caenorhabditis elegans represents a promising tool for the early detection of cancer

Abstract The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, with its highly sensitive olfactory system, has emerged as a promising tool for testing chemotaxis. In the field of cancer diagnostics, there is a growing interest in the development of non-invasive screening methods for the detection of volatile organic...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Alžbeta Kaiglová, Patrícia Hockicková, Zuzana Bárdyová, Radka Reháková, Kamila Melnikov, Soňa Kucharíková
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2024-12-01
Series:Discover Oncology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-024-01721-7
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850253829033951232
author Alžbeta Kaiglová
Patrícia Hockicková
Zuzana Bárdyová
Radka Reháková
Kamila Melnikov
Soňa Kucharíková
author_facet Alžbeta Kaiglová
Patrícia Hockicková
Zuzana Bárdyová
Radka Reháková
Kamila Melnikov
Soňa Kucharíková
author_sort Alžbeta Kaiglová
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, with its highly sensitive olfactory system, has emerged as a promising tool for testing chemotaxis. In the field of cancer diagnostics, there is a growing interest in the development of non-invasive screening methods for the detection of volatile organic compounds in a patient's urine. The objective of this study was to contribute to the existing body of knowledge by evaluating the ability of a Caenorhabditis elegans-based chemotaxis assay to discriminate between urine samples from healthy individuals and patients diagnosed with breast or colon cancer. Following synchronization of the developmental stages of C. elegans, nematodes were exposed to the urine of cancer patients and healthy individuals. Subsequently, chemotactic indices were calculated for each urine sample. Our results demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the chemotactic response of C. elegans to urine samples from cancer patients compared to healthy volunteers (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the test demonstrated promising diagnostic utility, with a sensitivity of 96%, a specificity of 62%, and a detection rate of 73% among patients with breast cancer and a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 62%, and a detection rate of 72% among those with colon cancer. Our findings expand on previous observations, confirming the remarkable sensitivity of C. elegans hermaphrodites to discriminating cancer-related volatile organic compounds in urine samples.
format Article
id doaj-art-65878b792ce24168be252c6e73b4e3f8
institution OA Journals
issn 2730-6011
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Springer
record_format Article
series Discover Oncology
spelling doaj-art-65878b792ce24168be252c6e73b4e3f82025-08-20T01:57:16ZengSpringerDiscover Oncology2730-60112024-12-011511910.1007/s12672-024-01721-7The chemotactic response of Caenorhabditis elegans represents a promising tool for the early detection of cancerAlžbeta Kaiglová0Patrícia Hockicková1Zuzana Bárdyová2Radka Reháková3Kamila Melnikov4Soňa Kucharíková5Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Health Care and Social Work, Trnava University in TrnavaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Health Care and Social Work, Trnava University in TrnavaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Health Care and Social Work, Trnava University in TrnavaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Health Care and Social Work, Trnava University in TrnavaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Health Care and Social Work, Trnava University in TrnavaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Health Care and Social Work, Trnava University in TrnavaAbstract The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, with its highly sensitive olfactory system, has emerged as a promising tool for testing chemotaxis. In the field of cancer diagnostics, there is a growing interest in the development of non-invasive screening methods for the detection of volatile organic compounds in a patient's urine. The objective of this study was to contribute to the existing body of knowledge by evaluating the ability of a Caenorhabditis elegans-based chemotaxis assay to discriminate between urine samples from healthy individuals and patients diagnosed with breast or colon cancer. Following synchronization of the developmental stages of C. elegans, nematodes were exposed to the urine of cancer patients and healthy individuals. Subsequently, chemotactic indices were calculated for each urine sample. Our results demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the chemotactic response of C. elegans to urine samples from cancer patients compared to healthy volunteers (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the test demonstrated promising diagnostic utility, with a sensitivity of 96%, a specificity of 62%, and a detection rate of 73% among patients with breast cancer and a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 62%, and a detection rate of 72% among those with colon cancer. Our findings expand on previous observations, confirming the remarkable sensitivity of C. elegans hermaphrodites to discriminating cancer-related volatile organic compounds in urine samples.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-024-01721-7Caenorhabditis elegansCancerChemotactic tests
spellingShingle Alžbeta Kaiglová
Patrícia Hockicková
Zuzana Bárdyová
Radka Reháková
Kamila Melnikov
Soňa Kucharíková
The chemotactic response of Caenorhabditis elegans represents a promising tool for the early detection of cancer
Discover Oncology
Caenorhabditis elegans
Cancer
Chemotactic tests
title The chemotactic response of Caenorhabditis elegans represents a promising tool for the early detection of cancer
title_full The chemotactic response of Caenorhabditis elegans represents a promising tool for the early detection of cancer
title_fullStr The chemotactic response of Caenorhabditis elegans represents a promising tool for the early detection of cancer
title_full_unstemmed The chemotactic response of Caenorhabditis elegans represents a promising tool for the early detection of cancer
title_short The chemotactic response of Caenorhabditis elegans represents a promising tool for the early detection of cancer
title_sort chemotactic response of caenorhabditis elegans represents a promising tool for the early detection of cancer
topic Caenorhabditis elegans
Cancer
Chemotactic tests
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-024-01721-7
work_keys_str_mv AT alzbetakaiglova thechemotacticresponseofcaenorhabditiselegansrepresentsapromisingtoolfortheearlydetectionofcancer
AT patriciahockickova thechemotacticresponseofcaenorhabditiselegansrepresentsapromisingtoolfortheearlydetectionofcancer
AT zuzanabardyova thechemotacticresponseofcaenorhabditiselegansrepresentsapromisingtoolfortheearlydetectionofcancer
AT radkarehakova thechemotacticresponseofcaenorhabditiselegansrepresentsapromisingtoolfortheearlydetectionofcancer
AT kamilamelnikov thechemotacticresponseofcaenorhabditiselegansrepresentsapromisingtoolfortheearlydetectionofcancer
AT sonakucharikova thechemotacticresponseofcaenorhabditiselegansrepresentsapromisingtoolfortheearlydetectionofcancer
AT alzbetakaiglova chemotacticresponseofcaenorhabditiselegansrepresentsapromisingtoolfortheearlydetectionofcancer
AT patriciahockickova chemotacticresponseofcaenorhabditiselegansrepresentsapromisingtoolfortheearlydetectionofcancer
AT zuzanabardyova chemotacticresponseofcaenorhabditiselegansrepresentsapromisingtoolfortheearlydetectionofcancer
AT radkarehakova chemotacticresponseofcaenorhabditiselegansrepresentsapromisingtoolfortheearlydetectionofcancer
AT kamilamelnikov chemotacticresponseofcaenorhabditiselegansrepresentsapromisingtoolfortheearlydetectionofcancer
AT sonakucharikova chemotacticresponseofcaenorhabditiselegansrepresentsapromisingtoolfortheearlydetectionofcancer