Molecular evaluation of apoptotic versus antiapoptotic angiogenic markers in hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective To assess the role of HO-1 in HCC progression and to study the expression of apoptotic factors represented by TNF-α, and Fas-L versus antiapoptotic and angiogenic factors represented by HO-1, TGF-β, HGF, and VEGF in HCC compared to non cancerous cirrhotic liver. Design and methods Liver biopsies were taken from twelve patients with grade II HCC confined to the liver and twelve patients with non cancerous liver cirrhosis (served as control). RT-PCR of previous genes was evaluated. Results HO-1, VEGF, HGF, and TNF-α genes were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in HCC compared to control. Fas-L showed a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in HCC compared to control. TGF-β was higher in HCC than control but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). HGF showed significant positive correlation with HO-1 (r = 0.8217, P = 0.001). Conclusion HCC is associated with increased expression of VEGF, HGF, and TGF-β, and with suppression of Fas-L. In addition, HO-1 is highly significantly expressed in HCC. The significant positive correlation between HO-1 and HGF was first reported in Egyptian human liver biopsies, and this suggests that it may play a role in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma.