[Research on the correlation of vascular endothelial growth factor and dendritic cell in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on the differentiation, formation and function of the dendritic cell (DC) in peripheral blood of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).


METHODS
Flow cytometry was used to detect the number of DC in peripheral blood of 81 patients with OSCC, and ELISA applied to test serum VEGF concentration the OSCC patients, and immunohistochemistry used to observe the expression of VEGF in primary foci of 57 patients with OSCC. DC from CD-14 peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured with VEGF(165) in vitro to investigate the cytokine's effect on DC.


RESULTS
In comparison with controls [(325.70 +/- 117.54) ng/L], the level of serum VEGF [(764.33 +/- 263.64) ng/L] was significantly increased (P < 0.01) and the DC numbers was significantly decreased (P < 0.01) in patients with OSCC. There was a negative correlation between serum VEGF concentration and the level of DC (P < 0.01). The expression of VEGF in primary focus was positively correlated with serum VEGF concentration, but was negatively correlated with the level of peripheral blood DC (P < 0.01). DC cultured in vitro with VEGF(165) decreased the expression of CD-1a, CD-40, CD-80, CD-86, CD-83, HLA-DR, and revealed a lower ability of stimulating T lymphocyte proliferation but a higher ability of uptake, compared to controls.


CONCLUSIONS
The overexpressed VEGF in patients with OSCC might be one of the important reasons for blocking the differentiation and maturation of DC.
Shi
Pei-Hua
PH
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China.
Hu
Qin-Gang
QG
Wang
Zhi-Yong
ZY
Huang
Xiao-Feng
XF
Han
Wei
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood*
C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A