Expression change of hepatic vascular endothelial growth factor during the development of hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective:To investigate the dynamic expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) during the development of hepotacellular carcinoma(HCC) .Methods:The dynamic changes of liver pathology,VEGF transcription and expression were observed through the hepatoma model.The expression,cellular distribution,and clinicopathologic features of VEGF and its gene were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting,respectively.Results:The progressing increasing of hepatic VEGF expression appeared during the HCC development course.The positive VEGF was brown and granule-like,mainly presented in cytoplasm and few in nucleus.The incidence of VEGF and the ratio of VEGF toβ-actin were 25%and 0.16±0.02 in control group,88.9%and 0.29±0.04 in denatured group,100%and 0.52±0.03 in precancerous group,and 100%and 0.84±0.02 in cancerous group,with significant difference between the control group and any of the experimental groups(P0.01) ,and the highest in HCC group.The dynamic alteration of VEGF in liver and circulating blood showed closely positive relationship(r=0.785,t=8.00,P0.01) .Conclusion:The expression of hepatic VEGF is associated with occurrence and development of HCC,and should be a useful marker for early diagnosis of HCC and molecular-target for HCC therapy.