Brief Reports
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2003. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 15, 2003; 9(8): 1859-1862
Published online Aug 15, 2003. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v9.i8.1859
Expression of telomerase activity and oxidative stress in human hepatocellular carcinoma with cirrhosis
Dao-Yong Liu, Zhi-Hai Peng, Guo-Qiang Qiu, Chong-Zhi Zhou
Dao-Yong Liu, Department of General Surgery, Shanghai No.5 People’s Hospital, Shanghai 200240, China
Zhi-Hai Peng, Guo-Qiang Qiu, Chong-Zhi Zhou, Department of General Surgery, Shanghai First People’s Hospital, Shanghai 200080, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by Science and Technology Foundation of Shanghai, No. 984119001
Correspondence to: Dr. Zhi-Hai Peng, Department of General Surgery, Shanghai First People’s Hospital, 85 Wujin Road, Shanghai 200080, China. pengpzhb@online.sh.cn
Received: March 4, 2003
Revised: April 23, 2003
Accepted: May 11, 2003
Published online: August 15, 2003
Abstract

AIM: To study the expression and significance of telomerase activity and oxidative stress in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with cirrhosis.

METHODS: In this study, TRAP-ELISA assay was used to determine telomerase activity in 21 cases of HCC as well as in 23 cases of hepatic cirrhosis. Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and total anti-oxidative capacity (T-AOC) were also examined in the same samples with human MDA, GST and T-AOC kits.

RESULTS: Eighteen of 21 cases of HCC were found to have increased telomerase activity, whereas only three of the 23 non-cancerous cirrhotic samples were found to have weak telomerase activity, and the difference was significant (P < 0.001). No significant difference in telomerase activity was detected according to different tumor size, tumor stage, histological grade, HBsAg, contents of albumin, bilirubin, ALT, AFP, r-GT and platelet. There were significant differences between HCC and cirrhosis in the expression of MDA, GST and T-AOC respectively. Telomerase activity correlated positively with the content of MDA (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Telomerase activation is the early event of carcinogenesis, which is not correlated with clinicopathological factors of HCC. The dysfunction of the anti-oxidative system is closely correlated with the progression from cirrhosis to hepatocellular carcinoma. Oxidative stress may contribute partly to telomerase activation.

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