Importance of activated hepatic stellate cells and angiopoietin-1 in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Lin,Ji‑Zong; Meng,Li‑Li; Li,Yan‑Zhu; Chen,Shu‑Xian; Xu,Jian‑Liang; Tang,Ya‑Jun; Lin,Nan

doi:10.3892/mmr.2016.5418

Importance of activated hepatic stellate cells and angiopoietin-1 in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Authors:
- Ji‑Zong Lin
- Li‑Li Meng
- Yan‑Zhu Li
- Shu‑Xian Chen
- Jian‑Liang Xu
- Ya‑Jun Tang
- Nan Lin
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Affiliations: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510630, P.R. China, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Sun Yat‑Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat‑Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510000, P.R. China
Published online on: June 21, 2016 https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2016.5418
Pages: 1721-1725

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Abstract

Previous studies have determined that activated hepatic stellate cells (aHSCs) promote the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by increasing angiogenesis in cancerous tissues. In addition, angiopoietin 1 (Ang‑1) has been reported to be involved in tumor growth and metastasis via the promotion of angiogenesis. It remains unclear whether aHSCs and Ang‑1 are involved in the angiogenesis in HCC. A total of 25 HCC and tumor‑adjacent tissues, and 21 normal liver tissues were used in the present study. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the expression of Ang‑1 and α smooth muscle actin (α‑SMA). The expression of CD34 was also analyzed using IHC to evaluate the microvessel density (MVD). The protein expression levels of Ang‑1 were evaluated using western blot analysis. The association between aHSC, Ang‑1 and angiogenesis was determined using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The present study determined that the expression of α‑SMA, Ang‑1 and MVD (CD34) was significantly higher in the HCC tissues when compared with tumor‑adjacent tissues and normal liver tissues. Spearman's rank analysis identified a positive correlation between the expression of α‑SMA, Ang‑1 and CD34. This suggests that α‑SMA‑positive aHSCs promoted angiogenesis by expressing Ang‑1, resulting in the proliferation and metastasis of HCC.

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