Changes in electric charge and phospholipids composition in human colorectal cancer cells

Cancer cells perform their malicious activities through own cell membranes that screen and transmit inhibitory and stimulatory signals out of the cells and into them. This work is focused on changes of phospholipids content (PI-phosphatidylinositol, PS-phosphatidylserine, PE-phosphatidylethanolamine, PC-phosphatidylcholine) and electric charge that occur in cell membranes of colorectal cancer of pT3 stage, various grades (G2, G3) and without/with metastasis. Qualitative and quantitative composition of phospholipids in the membrane was determined by HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography). The surface charge density of colorectal cancer cell membranes was measured using electrophoresis. The measurements were carried out at various pH of solution. It was shown that the process of cancer transformation was accompanied by an increase in total amount of phospholipids as well as an increase in total positive charge at low pH and total negative charge at high pH. A malignant neoplasm cells with metastases are characterized by a higher PC/PE ratio than malignant neoplasm cells without metastases.