Interleukin 8 in human hepatocellular carcinoma correlates with cancer cell invasion of vessels but not with tumor angiogenesis.
BACKGROUND
Angiogenic factor seems necessary for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is a hypervascular malignancy. This study examined the expression of interleukin (IL)-8, a potent angiogenic factor, in HCC samples.


METHODS
We measured IL-8 expression by using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in clinical HCC tissues from 45 patients who underwent surgical resection. We then assessed correlations between IL-8 expression and microvessel growth or clinicopathologic factors. We also elucidated the in vitro effect of IL-8 on HepG2 development by using fluorometric assays of proliferation, chemotaxis, and invasion.


RESULTS
The expression of IL-8 did not significantly correlate with the microvessel count in HCC tissues, but the incidence of microscopic vessel invasion was significantly higher in IL-8-positive than in IL-8-negative tissues. Thus, more IL-8 was expressed in HCCs at pathologic stage III/IV than in those at stage I/II. Assays in vitro showed that IL-8 stimulates HepG2 chemotactic and invasive activities rather than cell proliferation.


CONCLUSIONS
The expression of IL-8 in human HCC has more relevance to metastatic potential, such as vessel invasion, than to angiogenesis or cell proliferation.
Kubo
Fumitake
F
Course of Advanced Therapeutics, Field of Oncology, Department of Surgical Oncology and Digestive Surgery, KagoshimaUniversity Graduate School of Medicine and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan. f-kubo@m3.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
Ueno
Shinichi
S
Hiwatashi
Kiyokazu
K
Sakoda
Masahiko
M
Kawaida
Koichi
K
Nuruki
Kensuke
K
Aikou
Takashi
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002633:Chemotaxis; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000502:physiology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D016209:Interleukin-8