Preventive laboratory testing primarily identifies established metabolic abnormalities, organ dysfunction, or systemic inflammation. This Perspective proposes that some pathological processes may first produce detectable disturbances within the tissue interstitium before conventional markers become abnormal.
The interstitial environment is considered here as an active regulatory compartment integrating sensory nerve endings, mast cells, endothelial cells, stromal cells, and locally acting mediators. The manuscript proposes that persistent, coordinated changes in circulating markers representing these biological axes, interpreted longitudinally against an individual's own stable baseline, could potentially provide an early biochemical warning of disturbed tissue homeostasis.
The candidate biomarkers discussed are illustrative rather than a proposed validated screening panel. The central purpose is to define a testable research framework for investigating whether tissue-derived biological signals can precede conventional indicators of established disease.
This manuscript is a preprint and has not yet undergone peer review.