Expression And Relationship Of TRAILR2, AFP And NF-κBp65 In Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Objective To study the effect and the relationship of TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor TRAILR2, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and nucleus factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 on apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Methods By immunohistochemical technique, the expression of TRAILR2, AFP and NF-κBp65 was examined in 40 HCC and 12 normal liver tissue samples. Results TRAILR2 was expressed in the 40 HCC and 12 normal liver tissue samples, while its expression was much stronger in the HCC group than in the normal liver tissue group with significant difference between the two groups (P<0.01).Although NF-κBp65 was expressed in both HCC and normal liver tissue groups, it was weaker in the latter, There was significant difference between the two groups (P<0.01). 7 out of 40 HCC samples were not found the expression of AFP while that was obvious in the others. AFP was not expressed in the normal liver tissue samples. There was significant difference between the two groups (P<0.01). In HCC group, the expression of TRAILR2 was negatively correlated with both the expression of AFP (r=-0.464, P<0.01) and the expression of NF-κBp65 (r=-0.648, P < 0.01);there was a positive correlation between the expression of AFP and the expression of NF-κBp65(r=0.362, P<0.05). Conclusions All TRAILR2, AFP and NF-κBp65 were relevant to apoptosis of HCC. NF-κBp65 can regulate the expression of both TRAILR2 and AFP. The effect that AFP suppressed apoptosis of HCC was related to the down-regulation of TRAILR2 expression. What AFP down-regulated TRAILR2 expression may be an indirect effect through NF-κBp65.