Elevated Endoglin Levels and Their Link to the Inflammatory Tumor Microenvironment in Colorectal Cancer

Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. The causal link between inflammation and cancer has been proposed based on the observation that tumors often develop in a chronic inflammatory environment and that inflammatory cells are present in tumor biopsy specimens. Epidemiological studies have revealed that chronic inflammation provides a basis for different types of cancer. There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that chronic inflammation can support cancer development and that tumor-induced inflammation maintains tumor progression by creating a snowball effect. Endoglin is a transmembrane glycoprotein identified in vascular endothelial cells and has been shown to be associated with angiogenesis and inflammation in various diseases. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between endoglin and the inflammatory microenvironment in colorectal cancer patients. Material and Method: 50 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 50 healthy volunteers were included in the study. In plasma samples, endoglin and commonly known inflammation markers such as sPLA2, cPLA2, NfκB, and TGFβ1 levels were measured by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) method. In addition, endoglin and PLA2 mRNA expression were determined by Real-Time PCR. Result and Discussion: In colorectal cancer patients, plasma endoglin, NfκB, TGFβ1 levels were found to be significantly higher than in the control group, while no significant difference was found between the groups in cPLA2 and sPLA2 levels. A significant positive correlation was found between plasma endoglin levels and NFκB in the colorectal cancer group. Gene expression analyses showed that endoglin and PLA2 mRNA expression levels were significantly higher in the colorectal cancer group than in the control group. In conclusion, this study showed that the increase in endoglin in colorectal cancer may be associated with the development of inflammation and may play a role in poor prognosis associated with the inflammatory microenvironment.