Abstract:
Objective To determine the correlation of the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 with the expression of matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9 in human hepatocellular carcinoma, and their relationship with recurrence, metastasis, and prognosis.
Methods Paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 97 hepatocellular carcinoma cases were subjected to SP immunohistochemical staining.The nuclear expression of Bcl-2 as well as the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were detected.A total of 49 cases had recurrence and metastasis, and the remaining 48 did not.
Results The nuclear expression of Bcl-2 was higher in cases with recurrence and/or metastasis(t = -2.488, P = 0.015).Similarly, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression were higher in cases with recurrence and/or metastasis(Z = -2.623, P = 0.009;Z = -2.028, P = 0.043).The nuclear expression of Bcl-2 was correlated with the expression of MMP-9, but not with that of MMP-2.Patients with positive nuclear expression of Bcl-2 had shorter survival time, and the difference was significant.
Conclusion The nuclear expression of Bcl-2 was significantly correlated with metastasis and MMP-9 expression. Bcl-2 relocation into the nucleus may regulate metastasis-related proteins, which can be used as a clinical marker for evaluating recurrence, metastasis, and prognosis.