Expression of beta 2 adrenergic receptor in infantile hemangiomas tissue

Abstract

Objective To detect the expression of beta 2 adrenergic receptor in the infantile hemangiomas (IH) tissue and to explore its role in the pathological evolution of infantile hemangiomas as well. Methods 48 cases of infantile hemangioma were divided into two groups. 29 cases were in the proliferating period, while the other 19 cases were in non-proliferating period. By using immunofluorescence technology, the endothelial nuclei and beta 2 adrenergic receptor of the IH tissue were marked by fluorescent tags, respectively, in two groups. The location of fluorescent labeling was shown in photos. By using the Image-Pro Plus 6.0 software, we analyzed and compared the average fluorescence intensity of endothelial cell nucleus and beta 2 adrenergic receptors in these two groups. Results Beta 2 adrenergic receptors were widely expressed in IH tissue, especially in endothelial cell nucleus shown in fluorescent images. The average fluorescence intensity of endothelial cell core in proliferating IH group was 0.031±0.002, which was much higher than that of fading period IH group (0.022±0.002). There was significant statistical different (P<0.05). The average fluorescence intensity of beta 2 adrenergic receptor in proliferating IH group was 0.035±0.003, which was much higher than that of fading period IH group (0.028±0.002). There was significantly statistical different between the two groups (P<0.05). Conclusions Beta 2 receptors are widely expressed in the endothelial cells of infantile hemangioma. Key words: Infantile hemangioma; β2-adrenergic receptor; Endothelial cell; Immunofluorescence technology