Intestinal adenomas are premalignant lesions that develop into colorectal cancer (CRC), yet the metabolic pathways underlying their malignant transformation remain poorly characterized. Using targeted metabolomics via ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), we found that serum levels of the bioactive lipid metabolite 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (14,15-EET) were dramatically elevated in ApcMin/+ adenoma model mice as early as pre-adenoma stages, compared to C57BL/6 controls. The results were also consistent in adenomas and CRC patients. ELISA data and bioinformatics analyses revealed both elevated serum 14,15-EET levels and upregulated cytochrome P450 2J2 (CYP2J2) expression in tumor. Functional studies showed that 14,15-EET accelerates adenoma growth in vivo, and promotes proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro by activating AKT (Ser473)/ERK1/2 signaling and inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Its early elevation in premalignant lesions, and relative molecules 14,15-EET/CYP2J2 represents a novel strategy for disrupting adenoma-carcinoma transition, and offering new biomarker for CRC prevention.
He et al. (Wed,) studied this question.