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Volume 26
Issue 16
10.3390/ijms26167924
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Methodological Development of a Test for Salivary Proteome Analysis Useful in Lung Cancer Screening

by
Leonarda Barra
1,†,
Elena Carestia
2,†,
Giulia Ferri
2,
Mohammad Kazemi
2,3,
Massoumeh Ramahi
2,3,
Uditanshu Priyadarshi
2,3,
Velia Di Resta
1,
Fabrizio Di Giuseppe
2,
Renata Ciccarelli
2,*,
Achille Lococo
1,‡ and
Stefania Angelucci
2,4,‡
1
General and Thoracic Surgery Unit-Casa di Cura Synergo-Pierangeli, Piazza L. Pierangeli 1, 65100 Pescara, Italy
2
Center for Advanced Studies and Technologies (CAST), ‘G d’Annunzio’ University of Chieti-Pescara, Via 9, Luigi Polacchi 13, 66100 Chieti, Italy
3
Department of Aging Medicine and Sciences (DMSI), ‘G d’Annunzio’ University of Chieti-Pescara, Via Vestini 31, 66100 Chieti, Italy
4
Department of Sciences, G d’Annunzio’ University of Chieti-Pescara, Via Vestini 31, 66100 Chieti, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
‡
Equally contributed as Senior Authors.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(16), 7924; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26167924 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 12 July 2025 / Revised: 11 August 2025 / Accepted: 14 August 2025 / Published: 16 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Molecular Biology)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

Early diagnosis of lung cancer, essential for reducing its high mortality rate, is currently challenging, partly due to the lack of specific biomarkers. Here, we attempted to develop a noninvasive and potentially sensitive screening method based on the proteomic analysis of unstimulated and stimulated saliva samples, collected by passive drooling and salivary swabs, respectively, from healthy heavy smokers enrolled in a nonprofit screening project. Protein content analyzed before and after sample cryopreservation for various periods and the associated two-dimensional electrophoresis revealed that protein extraction after short-term cryopreservation prevented the loss of detectable proteins. Mass spectrometric analysis of these electrophoretically resolved proteins revealed the presence of salivary proteins whose levels may be dysregulated in various types of lung cancer. Finally, in pilot experiments conducted on stimulated saliva from a patient with a lung cancer nodule, we detected altered content or selective presence of proteins involved in lung carcinogenesis, such as serpin B3 or the proteins S100A14 and aldoketoreductase-A1, respectively. While acknowledging that these findings require further validation, we believe that the use of saliva and related proteomic analyses may contribute to the identification of potential early lung cancer biomarkers, which could hopefully improve clinical management of the tumor and patient survival.
Keywords: cancer lung; saliva; methodological approach; protein assay; two-dimensional electrophoresis; proteomic analysis; cancer biomarkers cancer lung; saliva; methodological approach; protein assay; two-dimensional electrophoresis; proteomic analysis; cancer biomarkers

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Barra, L.; Carestia, E.; Ferri, G.; Kazemi, M.; Ramahi, M.; Priyadarshi, U.; Di Resta, V.; Di Giuseppe, F.; Ciccarelli, R.; Lococo, A.; et al. Methodological Development of a Test for Salivary Proteome Analysis Useful in Lung Cancer Screening. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26, 7924. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26167924

AMA Style

Barra L, Carestia E, Ferri G, Kazemi M, Ramahi M, Priyadarshi U, Di Resta V, Di Giuseppe F, Ciccarelli R, Lococo A, et al. Methodological Development of a Test for Salivary Proteome Analysis Useful in Lung Cancer Screening. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025; 26(16):7924. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26167924

Chicago/Turabian Style

Barra, Leonarda, Elena Carestia, Giulia Ferri, Mohammad Kazemi, Massoumeh Ramahi, Uditanshu Priyadarshi, Velia Di Resta, Fabrizio Di Giuseppe, Renata Ciccarelli, Achille Lococo, and et al. 2025. "Methodological Development of a Test for Salivary Proteome Analysis Useful in Lung Cancer Screening" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 26, no. 16: 7924. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26167924

APA Style

Barra, L., Carestia, E., Ferri, G., Kazemi, M., Ramahi, M., Priyadarshi, U., Di Resta, V., Di Giuseppe, F., Ciccarelli, R., Lococo, A., & Angelucci, S. (2025). Methodological Development of a Test for Salivary Proteome Analysis Useful in Lung Cancer Screening. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(16), 7924. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26167924

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