This paper details the quantitative analysis of neurotransmitters, including dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E), and serotonin (5-HT), along with their respective precursors and metabolites in children with solid tumors: Wilms' tumor (WT) and neuroblastoma (NB). A panel of neurotransmitters was determined with the use of dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) technique combined with liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in plasma samples obtained from a group of pediatric subjects with solid tumors and a control group of healthy children. Next, statistical univariate analysis (t-test) and multivariate analysis (Principal Component Analysis) were performed using chromatographic data. The levels of tyrosine (Tyr) and tryptophan (Trp) (the precursors of analyzed neurotransmitters) as well as 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) (a product of metabolism of DA) were significantly higher in the plasma samples obtained from pediatric patients with WT than in the samples taken from the control group. Moreover, statistically significant differences were observed between the levels of 5-HT and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the plasma samples from pediatric patients with solid tumors and the control group. However, elevated levels of these analytes did not facilitate a clear distinction between pediatric patients with WT and those with NB. Nonetheless, the application of advanced statistical tools allowed the healthy controls to be differentiated from the pediatric oncological patients. The identification and quantification of a panel of neurotransmitters as potential prognostic factors in selected childhood malignancies may provide clinically relevant information about ongoing metabolic alterations, and it could potentially serve as an adjunctive strategy in the effective diagnosis and treatment of solid tumors in children.

本文详细介绍了对患有实体瘤的儿童进行神经递质的定量分析，包括多巴胺（DA），去甲肾上腺素（NE），肾上腺素（E）和5-羟色胺（5-HT）以及它们各自的前体和代谢产物：威尔姆斯肿瘤（ WT）和神经母细胞瘤（NB）。使用分散液-液微萃取（DLLME）技术与液相色谱质谱（LC-MS / MS）结合从一组患有实体瘤的儿科受试者和对照组获得的血浆样品中确定一组神经递质健康的孩子。接下来，进行统计单变量分析（t-测试）和多变量分析（主成分分析）使用色谱数据进行。从儿科患者获得的血浆样本中的酪氨酸（Tyr）和色氨酸（Trp）（分析的神经递质的前体）以及3,4-二羟基苯基乙酸（DOPAC）（DA的代谢产物）的水平明显更高与WT相比，从对照组中采集的样本要少。此外，在患有实体瘤的小儿患者和对照组的血浆样品中，观察到5-HT和高香草酸（HVA）含量之间的统计学差异。然而，这些分析物水平的升高并不能帮助区分WT患儿和NB患儿。尽管如此，先进的统计工具的应用使健康对照与儿科肿瘤患者有所区别。鉴定和量化一组神经递质作为选定的儿童恶性肿瘤的潜在预后因素，可提供有关正在进行的代谢改变的临床相关信息，并可潜在地作为有效诊断和治疗儿童实体瘤的辅助策略。