Thermal behavior of blood plasma isolated from children with leukemia. A DSC study.




B. Antonova 1, K. Batchvarov 2, Yoan Dimitrov 1, B. Tenchov 1, B. Avramova 2, M. Yordanova 2, D. Konstantinov 2
1 Medical Faculty, Medical University–Sofia, Zdrave 2 Street, Sofia, Bulgaria
2 Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital "Queen Joanna", Byalo More 8 Street, Sofia, Bulgaria
E-mail: bantonova@medfac.mu-sofia.bg


Abstract
Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a highly sensitive technique that is frequently used to determine the denaturational heat capacity profiles of protein solutions. In the present study, we applied DSC to characterize for the first time the thermal denaturation profiles of blood plasma (BP) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), isolated from children diagnosed with leukemia. Leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children. Our Differential scanning calorimetry measurements revealed significant alterations in the blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid heat capacity profiles for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) compared to children in continuous remission. These alterations appear to correlate with the severity of the disease (tumor load, blast count). Here we present a selection of blood plasma heat capacity profiles which illustrate our main findings. These results give preliminary indication that body fluids denaturation profile changes due to leukemia could add additional information in the diagnostic and monitoring process of disease.
Key words: differential scanning calorimetry (DSC); protein denaturation; blood plasma (BP); cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Acknowledgements: Support of the Medical University – Sofia, Bulgaria, research project entry №7430/19-11-21, contract № Д-140/14-06-2022, GRANT 22, to the Medical Sciences Council of Medical University - Sofia.