Expression Of Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1alpha And Its Correlation With Lymphangiogenesis In Lung Cancer

0bjective:To investigate the relationship between lymphangiogenesis and Hypoxia inducible factor -1α(HIF-1α)and discuss the potential mechanism in Lung CancerMethods:The expressions of Hypoxia inducible factor -1α, Transforming growth factor-α(TGF-α) and Vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) proteins were detected by immunohistochemical method in 72 lung cancer tissues,72 margins of tumor tissues and 20 normal lung tissues. The lymphatic vessel was assessed by immunohistochemical staining with the antibody against D2-40 and then measures the lymphatic microvessel density (LMVD).Results:We show that the lymph node positive correlates with the level of LMVD in the lung cancer; The expressions of HIF-1α, TGF-αand VEGF-C in normal lung tissues were significantly lower than in tumor specimens.( P <0.05);HIF-1αexpression correlated with TGF-αexpression,LMVD and VEGF-C expression (r=0.396, r=0.444 and r=0.452, respectively, P <0.05). Furthermore, VEGF-C expression tended to correlate with TGF-αexpression and LMVD (r=0.357 and r=0.523, P <0.05).Conclusion:These findings suggest that HIF-1αmaybe plays a role in lymphatic invasion and lymph node metastasis through the induction of TGF-αand VEGF-C in lung cancer.