Alb, short for albumin, is a protein-encoding gene. Albumin is a major plasma protein with functions such as maintaining osmotic pressure, transporting various substances like hormones, fatty acids, and drugs. It is also involved in regulating extracellular fluid volume and composition, playing a crucial role in overall physiological balance [1,6,7].

In the context of different studies, in Erhualian boar sperm, redox-related proteins ALB and PDIA4 may be used as markers to predict sperm freezability as their abundances are correlated with frozen-thawed sperm quality parameters [1]. In patients with locally advanced rectal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, the Alb-dNLR score (combining ALB with an inflammation index) is a valuable prognostic marker for predicting oncological outcomes, with high scores associated with worse relapse-free survival and overall survival [2]. In oropharyngeal cancer, pre-treatment serum ALB is an independent prognostic indicator for disease-free survival and overall survival [6]. For endometrial cancer, a lower preoperative serum ALB concentration is associated with poorer overall survival, indicating it may serve as an independent prognostic factor [7]. In breast cancer, cordycepin enhances anti-tumor immunity by enhancing ALB expression, and bioinformatics analysis shows associations between ALB and many immune pathway marker genes [4]. In osteosarcoma, WTAP modulates ALB expression in an m6A-dependent manner, and silencing WTAP retards OS development while knockdown of ALB has the opposite effect, suggesting their interaction in OS progression [3,5].

In summary, Alb plays a significant role in various biological processes and disease conditions. Studies on Alb in different disease models, especially in cancer and sperm-related research, have provided valuable insights into its potential as a prognostic marker and its role in disease-related mechanisms. These findings contribute to a better understanding of disease pathophysiology and may guide the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

References:

1. Tong, Shifeng, Yin, Chang, Ge, Yuzhu, Tao, Jingli, Liu, Yang. 2022. Albumin (ALB) and protein disulfide isomerase family A member 4 (PDIA4) are novel markers to predict sperm freezability of Erhualian boar. In Cryobiology, 109, 37-43. doi:10.1016/j.cryobiol.2022.09.006. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36181861/

2. Nakanishi, Takashi, Matsuda, Takeru, Yamashita, Kimihiro, Oshikiri, Taro, Kakeji, Yoshihiro. . Alb-dNLR Score as a Novel Prognostic Marker for Patients With Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy. In Anticancer research, 44, 229-237. doi:10.21873/anticanres.16806. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38159989/

3. Pan, Qiyong, Lou, Jigang, Yan, Penghui, Li, Pengfei, Huang, Zongqiang. 2023. WTAP contributes to the tumorigenesis of osteosarcoma via modulating ALB in an m6A-dependent manner. In Environmental toxicology, 38, 1455-1465. doi:10.1002/tox.23780. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36988233/

4. Chen, Lin, Wei, Weihao, Sun, Jin, Sun, Beicheng, Deng, Rong. 2024. Cordycepin enhances anti-tumor immunity in breast cancer by enhanceing ALB expression. In Heliyon, 10, e29903. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29903. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38720766/

5. Pan, Qiyong, Lou, Jigang, Yan, Penghui, Li, Pengfei, Huang, Zongqiang. 2023. WTAP contributes to the tumorigenesis of osteosarcoma via modulating ALB in an m6A-dependent manner. In Genomics, , 110566. doi:10.1016/j.ygeno.2023.110566. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36690262/

6. Zhu, Jiajia, Li, Liang, Duan, Yuansheng, Wu, Yansheng, Wang, Xudong. 2022. Prognostic role of pre-treatment serum ALB in Patients with oropharyngeal cancer: A retrospective cohort study. In Frontiers in oncology, 12, 924210. doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.924210. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36531036/

7. Lei, Jia, Wang, Yue, Guo, Xiangqian, Guo, Ruixia, Kan, Quancheng. 2020. Low preoperative serum ALB level is independently associated with poor overall survival in endometrial cancer patients. In Future oncology (London, England), 16, 307-316. doi:10.2217/fon-2019-0732. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32039638/