Teng Xiao-Jun, Liu Rong, Zhang Zhi-Xiang, He Jiang-Fu, Shen Zhi-Xiang
Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Hospital of Huangshi City, Huangshi, Hubei, PR China.
Ai Zheng. 2008 Jan;27(1):88-91.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Endothelin, a potent vasoconstrictor peptide, is involved in mitogenesis modulation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, tumor invasion and metastases. Big endothelin-1 (Big ET-1), the stable precursor of endothelin-1, is regarded as a marker of tumor progression and prognosis. This study was to detect the expression of Big ET-1 in gastric cancer patients, and explore its correlations to progression and prognosis of gastric cancer.
The plasma levels of Big ET-1 in 118 gastric cancer patients and 20 healthy subjects were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of Big ET-1 in primary tumor and para-cancerous gastric tissues of the 118 patients was detected by immunohistochemistry.
The plasma level of Big ET-1 was significantly higher in patients with advanced gastric cancer than in patients with early stage gastric cancer and healthy subjects [(5.78+/-1.85) ng/L vs. (3.13+/-1.72) ng/L and (2.46+/-0.59) ng/L, P=0.026, P=0.008]. The plasma level of Big ET-1 was significantly higher in patients with lymph node metastases than in those without [(6.13+/-2.34) ng/L vs. (4.25+/-1.65) ng/L, P=0.006], and significantly higher in stage II, III, IV patients than in stage I patients. During follow-up, patients with high plasma levels of Big ET-1 had higher recurrence rate and lower 2-year survival rate as compared with those with low plasma levels of Big ET-1 (84.6% vs. 60.9%, P=0.034; 38.5% vs. 56.5%,P=0.017). The positive rate of Big ET-1 was significantly higher in stage II,III and IV patients than in stage I patients.
The plasma level of Big ET-1 may play a vital role in the development, invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer, and may be a predictor of tumor disease severity and prognosis.
内皮素是一种强效血管收缩肽，参与有丝分裂调节、细胞凋亡、血管生成、肿瘤侵袭和转移过程。大内皮素-1（Big ET-1）是内皮素-1的稳定前体，被视为肿瘤进展和预后的标志物。本研究旨在检测胃癌患者中Big ET-1的表达，并探讨其与胃癌进展和预后的相关性。
采用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）法检测118例胃癌患者和20例健康受试者血浆中Big ET-1的水平。采用免疫组织化学法检测118例患者原发肿瘤及癌旁胃组织中Big ET-1的表达。
进展期胃癌患者血浆中Big ET-1水平显著高于早期胃癌患者和健康受试者[（5.78±1.85）ng/L vs.（3.13±1.72）ng/L和（2.46±0.59）ng/L，P=0.026，P=0.008]。有淋巴结转移患者血浆中Big ET-1水平显著高于无淋巴结转移患者[（6.13±2.34）ng/L vs.（4.25±1.65）ng/L，P=0.006]，II、III、IV期患者血浆中Big ET-1水平显著高于I期患者。随访期间，血浆中Big ET-1水平高的患者与血浆中Big ET-1水平低的患者相比，复发率更高，2年生存率更低（84.6% vs. 60.9%，P=0.034；38.5% vs. 56.5%，P=0.017）。II、III和IV期患者Big ET-1阳性率显著高于I期患者。
血浆中Big ET-1水平可能在胃癌的发生、侵袭和转移中起重要作用，可能是肿瘤疾病严重程度和预后的预测指标。
