Comparative molecular evaluation of unaltered mucosa of colon segments as a possible basis for adenomas

The aim was to investigate the frequency of mucosal changes associated with colorectal epithelial neoplasms and the expression of potential miRNA and mRNA markers of CRC in the normal mucosa of different parts of the colon. Materials and Methods. In a continuous cross-sectional retrospective study, we examined the results of 3086 colonoscopies from 2019-2020.A prospective study of mucosal samples from 25 patients in 2022-2023 Results. A cohort of 980 patients with neoplasia was identified. A significant increase in the incidence of epithelial neoplasia was found in patients from the fifth decade of life (χ2=38.8, p=0.0000), not differing in subsequent decades of life. Absence of mucosal changes was found in 27.7% of cases. In a prospective study, molecular characteristics of the mucosa of different segments of the colon were analyzed in 169 samples. Nine miRNA markers associated with the development of CRC were studied. Statistically significant differences in expression between different parts of the colon were obtained for miRNA-135b, miRNA-31, and miRNA-20. Among protein-coding genes, significant differences were obtained for MUC2, NOX1, TERT and CDX2 genes. Expression level estimation using the ratio of median values of the studied parameters in different colon sections was 6.5-fold for miRNA-135b, 6.9-fold for miRNA-31, 1.9-fold for MUC2, 1.5-fold for CDX2, and 5.1-fold for the NOX1 gene. Conclusion. Normal/macroscopically unchanged colonic mucosa has significant molecular genetic differences in different sections. Changes in the expression of genes regulating cell proliferation, RNA replication and ensuring the balance of epithelial oxygenation with anaerobicity within the intestine coincide with the distal segments of the colon having the highest frequency of epithelial neoplasia detection.

unchanged mucosa, colorectal neoplasia, miRNA/mRNAs

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