Quantitative Image-analysis Of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A And Transforming Growth Factor-β1 In Vocal Polyp

[Abstract] Objective: To evaluate the role of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A andTransforming Growth Factor-β1 in the pathogenesis in the vocal polyp. Methods: 37patients without other laryngeal diseases who were undergone polypectomy were enrolled inthis study and divided into two groups according to whether the history of hoarseness islonger than six months. The specimens were diagnosed by pathologists. Specimens ofnormal vocal fold were obtained from 18 autopsy cases for controls. All samples werestained with hematoxylin-eosin, and immunohistochemical studies of the growth factors inthe mucosa of vocal polyp tissues were performed with monoclonal and polyclonalantibodies by S-P (Streptavdin-peroxidase-biotin) method, and then the mean integral opticaldensity (MiOD) and positive expression area was analyzed by means of computer-assistedimage analysis system. Negative controls were run without the primary antibody, which wasreplaced by PBS. Results: VEGF-A and TGF-β1 expression was faint in the normal vocalfold. In vocal polyp tissues, strong immunostaining for VEGF-A and TGF-β1 was found inthe epithelium of vocal polyp tissues, the endothelium of blood vessels and in the infiltratingscattered inflammatory cells. The MiOD values of VEGF-A and TGF-β1in study groupsaccording to the hoarseness history were not statistically significant (p>0．05) . The MiODvalues of VEGF-A(24200．06±13656．84) and TGF-β1(27139．76±16685．67) in vocalpolyp tissues were statistically significant compared with that in the normal vocalfold( 13253．45±888．19, 15639．93±4191．66) , respectively (p<0．05) . The values ofpositive expression area for VEGF-A and TGF-β1 are 3．74±2．28, 3．88±2．07 in vocalpolyp tissues, respectively and 1．88±0．13, 2．36±0．64 in the normal vocal fold,respectively. There were both statistically significant between values of positive expressionarea for VEGF-A, TGF-β1 in vocal polyp tissues and that in the normal vocal fold. Pearsonanalyses revealed a significant correlation of the MiOD values of VEGF-A and TGF-β1 invocal polyp tissues with the positive expression area (p<0．05) . The MiOD value of VEGF-Ain vocal polyp tissues was statistically significant correlation with that of TGF-β1 in vocal polyp tissues (p<0．05) . Conclusions: These results demonstrated that both VEGF-A andTGF-β1 are involved in the pathogenesis of vocal polyp. Up-regulation of VEGF-A andTGF-β1 in vocal polyp could be ?play an important role in abnormal proliferation of theepithelium cells, vascular permeability, angiogenesis, and may have certain relation with thedegradation, synthesis, remolding of ECM in vocal polyp.