Expression Of NF-κB And Its Relation With Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition In Pancreatic Cancer

objective To investigate the expression of NF-κB and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)related markers E-cadherin and Vimentin proteins in pancreatic cancer tissues and its relation with the malignant features.Methods The expression of NF-κB,E-cadherin and Vimentin proteins in 62 cases of pancreatic cancer tissues and 11cases nomal pancreatic tissues were detected by using immunohistochemistry and compared with the clinicopathological data of pancreatic cancer.Results 1. The positive expression rate of NF-κB was 81%(50/62)in Pancreatic cancer tissues , non- cases can express NF-κB in11 cases of normal pancreas tissues, there were statistically significant differences between them (P<0.05). The positive expression rate of NF-κB was significantly related with the lymph node metastasis(P<0.05),distant metastasis(P<0.05), but there were no relation with the patients gender,age ,tumor location ,tumor type and tumor differentiation(P<0.05).2. E-cadherin protein loss of expression was 55%(34/62) in pancreatic cancer, 11 cases of normal pancreatic tissues were normal expression, there were statistically significant differences between them (P<0.05). Vimentin protein increased of expression was 43%(27/62), but Vimentin expression was not found in the 11 cases of normal pancreatic tissues epithelial cells cytoplasm, there were statistically significant differences between them (P<0.05).E-cadherin expression loss and Vimentin expression were significantly related with the lymph node metastasis(P<0.05),distant metastasis(P<0.05), but there were no relation with the patients gender,age ,tumor location ,tumor type and tumor differentiation(P<0.05). 3. The positive expression rate of NF-κB was significantly related with the absent expression of epithelial marker E-cadherin (r=0.352,P<0.05)and the positive expression of mesenchymal marker Vimentin (r=0﹒329,P<0.05) in pancreatic cancer tissues .Conclusions 1.The epithelial marker E-cadherin expression of decreased and the mesenchymal marker Vimentin increased expression and both are related in pancreatic cancer. Suggesting that occurrence and development process of pancreatic cancer may exist EMT.2. In the lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis pancreatic cancer tissues, epithelial marker E-cadherin expression appears missing and mesenchymal marker Vimentin expression appears increased , suggesting that E-cadherin expression loss and Vimentin expression with tumor lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis significantly correlated .EMT may participate in the lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis process of pancreatic cancer.3. The positive expression of NF-κB in pancreatic cancer tissues was significantly higher than that of the normal pancreatic tissues and with the lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis significantly correlated in pancreatic cancer.Meanwhile,there were the absent expression of E-cadherin and Vimentin expression increased in the positive expression of NF-κB of pancreatic cancer tissues, and the positive expression of NF-κB was significantly associated with the loss expression of E-cadherin and the positive expression of Vimentin, suggesting that the overexpression of NF-κB in pancreatic cancer may accelerate invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer through induced EMT.