Comparison of the expression of beta-catenin in hepatocellular carcinoma in areas with high and low levels of exposure to aflatoxin B1.
OBJECTIVE
Previous studies showed that the frequency of beta-catenin mutation was different in mice when induced by different chemicals. The aim of this study is to compare the expression of beta-catenin and p53 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from areas with exposure to high and low levels of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1).


METHODS
Thirty-five and twenty HCC samples from Guangxi and Malaysia, respectively, were studied. The expression of beta-catenin and p53 was determined by immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
The overexpression of beta-catenin was detected in 65.7% of HCC tissues and 37.1% in adjacent liver tissues samples from Guangxi, China. Similarly, overexpression of beta-catenin was also detected in 60.0% of HCC tissues and in 35.0% of adjacent liver tissues samples from Malaysia. The overexpression of p53 was detected in 42.9% of HCC specimens from Guangxi and in 25.0% of HCC specimens from Malaysia. There was a relationship between the expression of beta-catenin and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the adjacent liver tissues in Guangxi, and between the expression of beta-catenin and p53 in HCC tissues in Malaysia.


CONCLUSIONS
The differences in the exposure to AFB1 did not affect the overexpression of beta-catenin in the development of HBV-associated HCC.
Chen Ban
Ke
K
Immunology Unit, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia.
Singh
Harjit
H
Krishnan
R
R
Fong Seow
Heng
H
D000328:Adult; D016604:Aflatoxin B1 / Q000032:analysis*; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002681:China; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D051176:beta Catenin
C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D051176:beta Catenin; D016604:Aflatoxin B1