The Relationship Of Apoptosis And Expression Of Caspase-3 And Survivin In Infantile Hemangioma

Objective: To investigate the regulation of gene Caspase-3 and Survivin in infantile hemangiomas in different periods and significance of the expression of apoptosis, as well as the relationship with apoptosis.Methods : Using in situ hybridization detection Caspase-3mRNA expression of hemangioma and normal skin tissue. immunohistochemical stainings for Survivin was conducted on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues of hemangiomas and normal skin tissue. The apoptotic cells in tissues of hemangioma and normal skin tissue were detected by terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end-labeling ( TUNEL).Results : There was a significant difference of Caspase-3mRNA expression between proliferative and involuting phase of hemangioma (48.4%vs87.5%,p<0.01), However,there was no significant difference of Caspase-3 mRNA expression between proliferative hemangioma and normal skin tissue(p > 0.05). Survivin protein expression rate in the proliferative and involuting phase were 77.4% and 45.8%, the difference between the two was statistically significant (p<0.01), there was no significant difference in the expression of involuting hemangioma and normal skin tissue (p>0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between Caspase-3mRNA and the exp ression of Survivin. Apoptoticindex (AI) in proliferative hemangiomas was lower than that in involutingphase hemangiomas (p<0.01).There was a significant positive correlationbetween AI and the expression of Caspase-3mRNA (r = 0.405, p<0.01),There was a significant negative correlation between AI and theexpression of Survivin (r =- 0.362, p<0.01).Conclusion: Caspase-3 gene and surviving may play an important role inthe hemangioma and it may be identified as a new therapeutic target.Inhibition of the Caspase-3's activation is the anti-apoptosis mechanismof survivin and play an important role in prognosis.