Kase Satoru, Osaki Mitsuhiko, Honjo Soichiro, Adachi Hironobu, Tsujitani Shunichi, Kaibara Nobuaki, Ito Hisao
First Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 86, Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503, Japan.
Virchows Arch. 2003 Feb;442(2):129-35. doi: 10.1007/s00428-002-0706-x. Epub 2002 Dec 7.
Cyclo-oxygenase (COX) is a key enzyme in the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostanoids. COX-2 expression has been found in many malignancies. This study analyzed the correlation between COX-2 expression and angiogenesis or apoptosis in human esophageal carcinomas. The study examined the expression of COX-2 in six esophageal carcinoma cell lines and in 100 esophageal squamous cell carcinomas, comparing intratumoral microvessel density (IMVD) and apoptotic index (AI) by immunohistochemistry and TUNEL methods. COX-2 was variably expressed in all the cell lines examined. COX-2 immunoreactivity was observed mainly in the cytoplasm of carcinoma cells. Significantly higher mean IMVD and lower AI were noted in the 51 strong COX-2 expressing cases than in the 49 weak cases. IMVD and AI were negatively correlated. COX-2 expression was higher in the tumors with lymphatic invasion than in the others. These data indicate that COX-2 expression is associated with increased intratumoral microvessels and suppression of tumor cell apoptosis. Thus COX-2 might play an important role in the angiogenesis and regulation of apoptosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.
环氧化酶（COX）是将花生四烯酸转化为前列腺素的关键酶。COX-2在许多恶性肿瘤中均有表达。本研究分析了COX-2表达与人类食管癌血管生成或细胞凋亡之间的相关性。该研究检测了六种食管癌细胞系和100例食管鳞状细胞癌中COX-2的表达情况，采用免疫组织化学和TUNEL方法比较肿瘤内微血管密度（IMVD）和凋亡指数（AI）。在所检测的所有细胞系中，COX-2均呈不同程度的表达。COX-2免疫反应主要见于癌细胞的细胞质中。51例COX-2强表达病例的平均IMVD显著高于49例弱表达病例，而AI则显著低于弱表达病例。IMVD与AI呈负相关。有淋巴转移的肿瘤中COX-2表达高于其他肿瘤。这些数据表明，COX-2表达与肿瘤内微血管增多及肿瘤细胞凋亡受抑制有关。因此，COX-2可能在食管鳞状细胞癌的血管生成及凋亡调控中发挥重要作用。
