Under the Hood: Understanding the Features of Mucin in Pseudomyxoma Peritonei

Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare malignant growth characterized by the production of mucin and the potential for peritoneal relapse. This study aimed to investigate the immunohistochemical and biological characteristics of mucin in patients with cellular and acellular PMP. We prospectively analyzed mucin specimens obtained from our patient cohort and described the composition and type of mucin present in each sample. A metagenomic analysis of the samples was performed to investigate the bacterial composition of the PMP microbiome. Secreted mucins 2 and 5AC and membrane-associated mucin-1 were the primary components of mucin in both cellular and acellular tumor specimens. The metagenomic study revealed a predominance of the phylum Proteobacteria and the genus Pseudomonas. Notably, Pseudomonas plecoglossicida, a species not previously reported in the human microbiome, was found to be the most abundant organism in the mucin of pseudomyxoma peritonei. Our findings suggest that the presence of MUC-2 and mucin colonization by Pseudomonas is a characteristic feature of both cellular and acellular disease. These results may have significant implications for the diagnosis and treatment of this rare entity.