The expression of arginase I in heptocellular carcinoma and its clinicopathological significance

Abstract

Objective To investigate the expression of arginase Ⅰ(ARG1)in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and to analyze its correlation with clinicopathological features.Methods The expression of ARG1 at protein level in 167 samples of HCC and corresponding adjacent liver tissue was detected with high-throughput tissue microarray technique and immunohistochemistry.The correlation between ARG1 expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed with x2 test and Spearman rank correlation analysis.The expression of ARG1 at mRNA level in 68 samples of HCC and corresponding adjacent liver tissue was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction(real-time PCR).Results The expression of ARG1 at protein level in HCC(3.540±3.702)was significantly lower than that of the corresponding adjacent liver tissues(10.290 ± 2.303)(t=-22.421,P=0.000).The ARG1 expression was correlated with differentiation degree of HCC,histological grade,vascular invasion,preoperative level of α-fetoprotein(AFP)and recurrence after operation(all P＜0.05).The ARG1 expression at mRNA level in 68 HCC tissue[0.0997(0.213)]was lower than that of the corresponding adjacent liver tissues[0.563(0.459)],and the difference was statistical significant(u=-6.544,P=0.000).Conclusion Low expression of ARG1 in HCC may take part inHCC genesis and development.Detecting the expression of ARG1 may be helpful in HCC diagnosis,differentiation degree and prognosis assessment. Key words: Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Arginase; Polymerase chain reaction; Microchip analytical procedures; Immunohistochemistry; Prognosis