[Expression of ESM-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with angiogenesis and tumor invasion].

Objective To study the expression and significance of endothelial cell specific molecule-1(ESM-1) in hepatocellular carcinolna(HCC)tissue and serum from HCC patients.Methods The ESM-1 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry staining and quantitative real-time PCR in 30 tumor tissues from HCC patients,15 surrounding non-cancerous hepatic parenchyma,and 15 normal controls.Serum levels of ESM-1 were also measured in the HCC patients and healthy controls by Enzyme-linked imrnunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results ESM-1 was expressed in endothelium of 24 HCC tissues and 6 pericarcinomatous tissues.however,it was not expressed in normal liver tissues.The mRNA level of ESM-1was 0.064±0.018,0.383±0.103,0.528±0.148 in the corresponding tissues,respectively.The mRNA level of ESM-1 in tissues was correlated with the TNM phase of HCC patients.tumor vascular invasion as well as metastasis.The serum ESM-1 was(12.643±2.280)ng/ml and(4.660±1.172)ng/ml in hepatic cell carcinoma and normal controls,respectively.Conclusion The expression of ESM-1 is significantly upregulated in HCC,suggesting that ESM-1 may play an important role in the pathoigenesis of HCC. Key words: Carcinoma; hepatocellular; Polymerase chain reaction; Immunohistochemistry; Endothelial cell specific molecule-1