The Role Of Angiopoietin-2 In Angiogenesis Of The Primary Gastric Cancer

Background and Objective: Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) is a new-cloned molecular of angiogenic growth factor, which is tightly relation to tumor angiogenesis. The aim of this study is to expore the role of Ang-2 in progression and angiogenesis of gastric cancer by detecting the level of Ang-2 mRNA.Methods: Ang-2 mRNA were analyzed by reverse transcript polymerase chains reaction (RT-PCR), VEGF and CD34 were detected by immunohistochemistry in 36 cases of primary gastric cancer tissues and their paired adjacent gastric mucosas. And MVD was figured out. Results:1 The expression of Ang-2 mRNA was found both in gastric cancer tissues and their paired adjacent gastric mucosas.2. The expressive levels of Ang-2 mRNA in poor differentied gastric cancer tissues were higher than those in middle-well differentied cancers, likely the levels of Ang-2 in cases with lymph node metastasis were higher than those with no lymph node metastasis.3. In total 36 cases, there was 27 cases whose expressive levels of Ang-2 mRNA in adjacent gastric mucosas were higher than in cancer tissues, in which a significant positive correlation between the expressive level of Ang-2 mRNA and MVD was found; however in other 9 cases which the expressive levels of Ang-2 mRNA in adjacent gastric mucosa was lower than in cancer tissues, a significant negative correlation between theexpressive level of Ang-2 mRNA and MVD was found.4.The expressive levels of Ang-2 mRNA in 22 cases of positive VEGF expression was significant higher than in 14 cases of negative VEGF expression. Conclusions:1. The expression of Ang-2 mRNA was both in gastric cancer tissues and their paired adjacent gastric mucosas.2. Ang-2 may play a role in progression of gastric cancer.3. That the Ang-2 may play a paradoxical effect in angiogenesis of gastric cancer was firstly found: (1) Ang-2 may promote the angiogenesis of cancer in the gastric cancer which the expressive levels of Ang-2 mRNA in adjacent gastric mucosas were higher than in cancer tissues; (2) Ang-2 may inhibit the angiogenesis of cancer in which the expressive levels of Ang-2 mRNA in adjacent gastric mucosas were lower than in cancer tissues.4. The expression of Ang-2 mRNA was significant correlated to the expression of VEGF, both of them may contribute to the angiogenesis of gastric cancer.In this study, we investigated the expressions of Ang-2 mRNA, protein VEGF and their associations with angiogenesis in gastric cancer. Analysis of these variables may help to further understand mechanism about angiogenesis of gastric cancer and provided theoretical reference to explore a new way of antiangiogenesis in gastric cancer.