Clinical significance of expression of AEG-1 and NF-κB p65 proteins in human primary hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To detect the expression of astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 proteins in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to analyze their clinical significance.

METHODS: The expression of AEG-1 and NF-κB p65 proteins was detected by immunohistochemical analysis in 40 HCC samples, 40 tumor adjacent tissue samples, and 8 normal hepatic tissue samples. Western blot was also performed for detecting protein levels of AEG-1 and NF-κB p65 in part of the above tissue samples. The relationship between survival and expression of AEG-1 and NF-κB p65 was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analysis.

RESULTS: The positive expression rates of AEG-1 in HCC, tumor adjacent tissue and normal tissue samples were 72.5% (29/40), 60% (24/40), and 12.5% (1/8), respectively; the differences among the three groups were statistically significant (χ² = 9.74, P < 0.05). The expression of AEG-1 protein was significantly higher in HCC and tumor adjacent tissue than in normal tissue (P < 0.05). The expression rates of NF-κB p65 protein in HCC, tumor adjacent tissue and normal tissue samples were 75% (30/40), 62.5% (25/40), and 12.5% (1/8), respectively; the differences among the three groups were statistically significant (χ² = 11.29, P < 0.05). The expression of NF-κB p65 protein was significantly higher in HCC and tumor adjacent tissue than in normal tissue (P < 0.05). The expression of AEG-1 and NF-κB p65 protein determined by Western blot was similar to that by immunohistochemical analysis. The survival rates in patients with positive expression of AEG-1 and NF-κB p65 were significantly lower than those in patients with negative expression (P < 0.05)．

CONCLUSION: AEG-1 may promote invasion and metastasis of HCC through up-regulation of NF-κB p65 expression and activity. The combined detection of expression of AEG-1 and NF-κB p65 has significance in gene therapy and in predicting the prognosis of patients with HCC.