International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the third leading cause of mortality among cancer patients in developed countries. Each new study in this field can contribute to better detection, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease. Our study aimed to assess transcriptional activity of genes associated with the biotransformation of xenobiotics and endobiotics in all three phases in the CRC adenocarcinoma, including correlations between them, as well as the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathways. Based on transcriptome analysis (1252 mRNAs) of the CRC tissue and healthy colon, the upregulation or downregulation of 46 significant mRNAs was presented. The study also revealed the downregulation of AKR7A2 and upregulation of SLC5A6 and SLC29A2, previously undistinguished and potentially therapeutically valuable in CRC. The diagnostic potential of ADH1C, GGT5, NQO2, and SLC25A5 was demonstrated. It was stated that the AHR, EPHX1, GSTP1, and SLC25A32 did not correlate in healthy intestinal tissue whereas AHCY, ALDH1A1, NNMT, GSTM4, UGT2B17, and SLCO1B3 did not correlate in CRC. The disturbed transcriptional activity of genes related to the biotransformation process at all stages of CRC suggests that this may be the cause of its occurrence; the genes ought to be taken into account in preventive strategies and the treatment of patients.

Photo-induced bond linkage isomerization (BLI) in metal–nitrosyl compounds provides a molecular mechanism for controlling light-induced changes in refractive index and phase modulation. In this study, the ground and metastable states of a series of Ru–NO complexes and their Au₂₀, Ag₂₀, and mixed Au₁₀Ag₁₀ nanocluster hybrids were investigated by DFT and TDDFT calculations. The photochemical rearrangement between the linear, side-on, and O-bound forms of Ru–NO was examined together with their electronic transitions, oscillator strengths, and characteristic vibrational shifts. From these data, parameters describing radiative efficiency, non-radiative coupling, and metastable-state stability were derived to identify compounds with favorable properties for holography and photonic applications. Particular attention was given to the [(Salen)Ru(NO)(HS)@Au₂₀] complex, which shows a strong red-to-NIR response and balanced stability among its linkage isomers. Frequency-dependent polarizabilities α(ω) were calculated for its ground and metastable states and compared with those of the classical holographic material [Fe(CN)₅NO]²⁻ (nitroprusside). The refractive-index changes derived from α(ω) reveal that the Au₂₀–salen hybrid produces a much larger and more strongly wavelength-dependent Δn(λ) than nitroprusside. At 635 nm, the modulation reaches approximately 0.06 for the hybrid, compared with 0.02 for nitroprusside. This enhancement reflects the cooperative effect of the Ru–NO chromophore and the Au₂₀ nanocluster, which amplifies both polarizability and optical dispersion. The results demonstrate that coupling molecular photo-linkage isomerism with nanoplasmonic environments can significantly improve the performance of molecular systems for holography and optical-phase applications.

Circulating nucleic acids, particularly those associated with extracellular vesicles (EVs), represent a promising class of molecular biomarkers in liquid biopsy for ‘non-invasive’ disease diagnostics, for better prognosis, and for therapeutic monitoring. However, the translation of this new circulating biomarker source into clinical practice is mostly hindered by methodological variability and a lack of standardization across the analytical workflow. This article highlights the implementation of international academic guidelines, such as Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments (MIQE) and Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (MISEV), in the entire analytical procedure in promoting the integrity, reproducibility, and validity of EV-associated nucleic acid markers in molecular diagnostics. By standardizing the liquid biopsy workflow from tissue sampling up to data analysis and statistics, these established guidelines lay the necessary scientific basis for a robust, reproducible, reliable, and valid RNA and DNA biomarker discovery in EVs. The ultimate goal is the successful implementation of the developed biomarker signature into the clinical diagnostic routine, but this requires further rounds of rigorous validation. The regularly updated guidelines should not be seen as optional recommendations, but more like an essential pillars of scientific rigor and standardization in order to achieve better and biological meaningful biomarker results in liquid biopsy.