Y Yin1, Q Qin, W Zhang, J Zhao, C Zhang, J Yu. 1. Department of Infectious Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Taishan Medical College, Taian 271000, China.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and its relation to spontaneous cancer cell apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: A series of 68 resected HCC tissues from untreated patients and 68 adjacent normal liver tissues were analyzed for HSP70 expression and apoptosis by immunohistochemical SP and TUNEL methods. RESULTS: HSP70 was detected positive in 48/68(71%) cases of HCC and 19/68(28%) cases of the adjacent liver tissues. Overexpression of HSP70 was found in 36/68(53%) cases of HCC and 14/68(21%) cases of the liver tissues. The positive rate and overexpression of HSP70 were significantly higher in HCC than in the liver tissues (P<0.01). Apoptosis index was 8.9 in HCC and 1.9 in the liver tissues, showing significant different between the two groups (P<0.01). The positive rate of HSP70 was correlated with apoptosis index (r=0.8765, P<0.05) and both of them correlated with HCC histological grades. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that there is an overexpression of HSP70 and spontaneous cancer cell apoptosis in HCC. They seem to be markers of poor proliferation.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and its relation to spontaneous cancer cell apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: A series of 68 resected HCC tissues from untreated patients and 68 adjacent normal liver tissues were analyzed for HSP70 expression and apoptosis by immunohistochemical SP and TUNEL methods. RESULTS:HSP70 was detected positive in 48/68(71%) cases of HCC and 19/68(28%) cases of the adjacent liver tissues. Overexpression of HSP70 was found in 36/68(53%) cases of HCC and 14/68(21%) cases of the liver tissues. The positive rate and overexpression of HSP70 were significantly higher in HCC than in the liver tissues (P<0.01). Apoptosis index was 8.9 in HCC and 1.9 in the liver tissues, showing significant different between the two groups (P<0.01). The positive rate of HSP70 was correlated with apoptosis index (r=0.8765, P<0.05) and both of them correlated with HCC histological grades. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that there is an overexpression of HSP70 and spontaneous cancer cell apoptosis in HCC. They seem to be markers of poor proliferation.