Expression of TLR4 and CXCR7 in gastric carcinoma and its relationship with HP positive infection

Abstract

Objective To explore the role and mechanism of Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4) and chemokine receptor 7(CXCR7) in the pathogenesis and development of Helicobacter pylori(HP) positive gastric cancer. Methods Tissues of 147 cases with gastric carcinoma and 60 normal control were collected.The protein expression of TLR4, CXCR7 was detected by immunohistochemical staining.HP infection in these samples were detected by immunohistochemistry and Gram staining. Results The positive rates of TLR4 and CXCR7 in gastric cancer tissues were 63.9% and 62.6%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in normal control group(15.0% and 5.0%, respectively; χ2=40.832, 56.901, all P<0.01). The positive rates of TLR4 and CXCR7 in patients with lymph node metastasis were significantly higher than those without lymph node metastasis(χ2=9.809, 11.444, all P<0.01). The positive rates of TLR4 and CXCR7 in patients with stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ were significantly higher than those of stageⅠand Ⅱ(χ2=24.927, 27.642, all P<0.01). The expression of TLR4 and CXCR7 in gastric carcinoma was significantly related to HP infection.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the survival rates in TLR4 and CXCR7 positive group were significantly lower than those in TLR4 and CXCR7 negative groups(F=4.053, 4.091, all P<0.05). COX regression analysis indicated that the TNM stage, the expression of TLR4 and CXCR7 were independent prognosis factors of gastric carcinoma. Conclusion TLR4 and CXCR7 are closely related to the occurrence and development of gastric cancer, and may play an important role in HP carcinogenesis.It may be involved in the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer cells via LPS/TLR4 signaling pathway. Key words: Stomach neoplasms; Helicobacter pylori; Toll-Like receptor 4; Receptors, chemokine