Polyamine biomarkers as indicators of human disease

Mohsin Aminab, Shiying Tangac, Liliana Shalamanovac, Rebecca L. Taylorc , Stephen Wylied, Badr M. Abdullahb & Kathryn A. Whiteheadac*a Microbiology at Interfaces, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UKb Department of Engineering and Technology, Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UKc Department of Life Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UKd Department of Engineering and Technology, Civil Engineering, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UKSupplementary data for this article can be accessed here.CONTACT Kathryn A. Whitehead k.a.whitehead@mmu.ac.uk Microbiology at Interfaces, Manchester Metropolitan University, All Saints Building, All Saints, Manchester M15 6BH, UK AbstractThe significant increase of periodontitis, chronic kidney disease (CKD), Alzheimer’s disease and cancer can be attributed to an ageing population. Each disease produces a range of biomarkers that can be indicative of disease onset and progression. Biomarkers are defined as cellular (intra/extracellular components and whole cells), biochemical (metabolites, ions and toxins) or molecular (nucleic acids, proteins and lipids) alterations which are measurable in biological media such as human tissues, cells or fluids. An interesting group of biomarkers that merit further investigation are the polyamines. Polyamines are a group of molecules consisting of cadaverine, putrescine, spermine and spermidine and have been implicated in the development of a range of systemic diseases, in part due to their production in periodontitis. Cadaverine and putrescine within the periodontal environment have demonstrated cell signalling interfering abilities, by way of leukocyte migration disruption. The polyamines spermine and spermidine in tumour cells have been shown to inhibit cellular apoptosis, effectively prolonging tumorigenesis and continuation of cancer within the host. Polyamine degradation products such as acrolein have been shown to exacerbate renal damage in CKD patients. Thus, the use of such molecules has merit to be utilized in the early indication of such diseases in patients.