Transforming growth factor-β and peripheral regulatory cells are negatively correlated with the overall survival of hepatocellular carcinoma

Figure 1 Levels of transforming growth factor-β in the serum of hepatocellular carcinoma patients and normal controls. ^cP < 0.001. TGF-β: Transforming growth factor-β; HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma.

Figure 2 Increase of transforming growth factor-β+ regulatory cells in the serum of hepatocellular carcinoma patients. A: Representative plots for identification of the TGF-β+ Treg cells producing cells in PBMC; B: Analysis of the frequency of TGF-β+ Treg cell from the PBMCs of healthy donors in comparison to HCC patients; C: Analysis of the frequency of TGF-β+ Treg cell from the PBMCs of healthy donors in comparison to HCC patients with tumors at different stages. ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01, ^cP < 0.001. TGF-β: Transforming growth factor-β; Treg: Regulatory cells; PBMC: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells; HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma.

Figure 3 Level of transforming growth factor-β and transforming growth factor-β+ regulatory cells affect 5-year survival for hepatocellular carcinoma patients. The 5-year survival rates for HCC patients with a high and low level of TGF-β (A), and TGF-β+ Treg cells (B) in their PBMCs. The survival rates were determined using the Kaplan-Meier method (log-rank test). TGF-β: Transforming growth factor-β; Treg: Regulatory cells; HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma.

Figure 4 Transforming growth factor-β can promote the proliferation of tumor cells and increase the level of interleukin-6 in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines production. A: The cell numbers of the three HCC cell lines after treatment with 100 ng/mL rhTGF-β for 48 h; B: The three HCC culture supernatants were analyzed for protein levels of IL-6 after treatment with rhTGF-β for 48 h using ELISA; C: The three HCC cell lines were treated with or without rhIL-6 for 48 h, and cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay. ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01, ^cP < 0.001. TGF-β: Transforming growth factor-β; Treg: Regulatory cells; HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma.