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Over-expression of VEGF and MMP-9 in residual tumor cells of hepatocellular carcinoma after embolization with lipidol

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Summary

The expression and implication of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in residual hepatic tumor cells after lipiodol embolization were investigated. Two weeks after transplantation of VX2 tumor cells into the livers of rabbits, a xenograft model of the human hepatic neoplasm was successfully established. Forty rabbits were randomly divided into control group (n=20) and lipiodol group (n=20). For the control group, 1 mL normal saline was injected through the gastroduodenal artery, whereas 0.3 mL/kg lipiodol was applied for the lipiodol group. One week after embolization, the expression level of VEGF in the plasma was measured by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A three-step immunohistochemical technique (ABC) was employed to detect the protein levels of VEGF and MMP-9 and the quantitative PCR for their mRNA levels was performed in the residual tumor cells. The VEGF in the plasma was significantly higher in the lipiodol group (1.42±0.29 ng/mL) than in the control group (1.12±0.21 ng/mL) (P<0.01). Moreover, the positive rate of VEGF protein in the residual tumor cells was significantly higher in the lipiodol group (62.13%±7.69%) than in the control group (53.16%±9.17%) (P<0.05). Similarly, the MMP-9 expression in the residual tumor cells was higher in the lipiodol group. The mRNA levels of VEGF (2.9313±2.4231) and MMP-9 (3.5721±1.6107) in the lipiodol group were significantly higher than those in the control group (1.5728±0.9453 and 1.7573±1.0641, respectively, P<0.05). Therefore, it was reasonable to speculate that the increased expression of VEGF and MMP-9 in residual hepatic tumor cells and tumor angiogenesis post-embolization would be responsible for the increased metastatic potentiality and invasiveness of these cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, China

    Yu-long Shi  (石玉龙), Tao Xu  (徐 涛) & Le-ping Li  (李乐平)

  2. Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China

    Xiao-ping Chen  (陈孝平)

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  1. Yu-long Shi  (石玉龙)
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  2. Tao Xu  (徐 涛)
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  3. Le-ping Li  (李乐平)
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  4. Xiao-ping Chen  (陈孝平)
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Tao Xu  (徐 涛) or Xiao-ping Chen  (陈孝平).

Additional information

This project was supported by grants from the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China (No. Y2007C102), and the Medical Science and Technology Development Foundation of Shandong Province of China (No. 2007H2071).

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Shi, Yl., Xu, T., Li, Lp. et al. Over-expression of VEGF and MMP-9 in residual tumor cells of hepatocellular carcinoma after embolization with lipidol. J. Huazhong Univ. Sci. Technol. [Med. Sci.] 33, 90–95 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-013-1077-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-013-1077-z

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