Diagnostic potential of Aldo-keto reductase 1B10 in pediatric hepatic malignancies: a narrative, hypothesis-generating translational review based on adult evidence and future research directions
8 affiliations
- 1Hunan Engineering Research Center for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Liver Cancer, Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Tumor Cellular & Molecular Pathology, Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China
- 2Department of General Surgery I, Affiliated Children’s Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University (Hunan Children's Hospital), Changsha, China
- 3Department of Neonatology, Affiliated Children’s Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University (Hunan Children's Hospital), Changsha, China
- 4The Affiliated Nanhua Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China
- 5Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Affiliated Children’s Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University (Hunan Children's Hospital), Changsha, China
- 6Geological Experiment and Testing Center of Hunan Province, Changsha, China
- 7Division of Transplantation Immunology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, 2-10-1 Okura, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- 8Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
Abstract
ObjectiveThe difficulty in diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at an early stage is a common challenge faced in the management of malignant liver tumors in both adults and children. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is currently the most widely used screening marker; however, it lacks sufficient sensitivity for early-stage HCC and exhibits physiologically elevated levels in infants and young children, which interferes with the accurate diagnosis of hepatoblastoma (HB). Aldo-keto reductase 1B10 (AKR1B10) is a liver cancer-associated protein that has attracted significant attention in recent years. It is frequently overexpressed in adult HCC and can be secreted into the bloodstream; however, its expression and function in pediatric liver tumors have not been reported to date. This study aimed to explore the potential research value of AKR1B10 in pediatric liver malignancies and provide a theoretical basis for expanding its clinical applications.MethodsThis narrative review summarizes the molecular structure, catalytic properties, tissue expression patterns, and core molecular mechanisms driving the onset and progression of HCC associated with AKR1B10, as well as its serum diagnostic efficacy and current status of clinical translation in adult HCC. Based on the molecular overlap between adult and pediatric liver tumors in the three signaling pathways—Wnt/β-catenin, lipid metabolism, and retinoic acid signaling—and using theoretical deduction and cross-disease comparative analysis, this study proposes, for the first time, a hypothesis to extend AKR1B10 research to the field of pediatric liver tumors.Proposed HypothesesBased on adult HCC evidence and shared molecular pathways, we hypothesize that: (1) AKR1B10 may be upregulated in HB, which could help address the diagnostic blind spots caused by physiological fluctuations in AFP levels during infancy and early childhood; (2) AKR1B10 may serve as an auxiliary serum biomarker for AFP-negative or low-expressing HB subtypes.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this narrative review is the first to propose the potential research value of AKR1B10 in pediatric liver malignancies. This study aims to provide a theoretical foundation and translational direction for future research on AKR1B10 in the pediatric field.
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BibTeX
@article{luo2026diagnostic,
title = {{Diagnostic potential of Aldo-keto reductase 1B10 in pediatric hepatic malignancies: a narrative, hypothesis-generating translational review based on adult evidence and future research directions}},
author = {Jianhang Luo and Peng Liao and Zheng Zeng and Qiulin Deng and Meilin Hu and Lingfeng Liu and Caizhi Huang and Qiang Yin and Jun Peng and Deliang Cao and Xin Hu and Lijian Chen and Lijian Chen},
journal = {Frontiers in Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fmed.2026.1972682},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1972682},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Diagnostic potential of Aldo-keto reductase 1B10 in pediatric hepatic malignancies: a narrative, hypothesis-generating translational review based on adult evidence and future research directions
AU - Jianhang Luo
AU - Peng Liao
AU - Zheng Zeng
AU - Qiulin Deng
AU - Meilin Hu
AU - Lingfeng Liu
AU - Caizhi Huang
AU - Qiang Yin
AU - Jun Peng
AU - Deliang Cao
AU - Xin Hu
AU - Lijian Chen
AU - Lijian Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Frontiers in Medicine
DO - 10.3389/fmed.2026.1972682
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1972682
AB - ObjectiveThe difficulty in diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at an early stage is a common challenge faced in the management of malignant liver tumors in both adults and children. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is currently the most widely used screening marker; however, it lacks sufficient sensitivity for early-stage HCC and exhibits physiologically elevated levels in infants and young children, which interferes with the accurate diagnosis of hepatoblastoma (HB). Aldo-keto reductase 1B10 (AKR1B10) is a liver cancer-associated protein that has attracted significant attention in recent years. It is frequently overexpressed in adult HCC and can be secreted into the bloodstream; however, its expression and function in pediatric liver tumors have not been reported to date. This study aimed to explore the potential research value of AKR1B10 in pediatric liver malignancies and provide a theoretical basis for expanding its clinical applications.MethodsThis narrative review summarizes the molecular structure, catalytic properties, tissue expression patterns, and core molecular mechanisms driving the onset and progression of HCC associated with AKR1B10, as well as its serum diagnostic efficacy and current status of clinical translation in adult HCC. Based on the molecular overlap between adult and pediatric liver tumors in the three signaling pathways—Wnt/β-catenin, lipid metabolism, and retinoic acid signaling—and using theoretical deduction and cross-disease comparative analysis, this study proposes, for the first time, a hypothesis to extend AKR1B10 research to the field of pediatric liver tumors.Proposed HypothesesBased on adult HCC evidence and shared molecular pathways, we hypothesize that: (1) AKR1B10 may be upregulated in HB, which could help address the diagnostic blind spots caused by physiological fluctuations in AFP levels during infancy and early childhood; (2) AKR1B10 may serve as an auxiliary serum biomarker for AFP-negative or low-expressing HB subtypes.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this narrative review is the first to propose the potential research value of AKR1B10 in pediatric liver malignancies. This study aims to provide a theoretical foundation and translational direction for future research on AKR1B10 in the pediatric field.
SN - 2296-858X
ER -