Annexin A2 protein expression in liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肝胆外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological significance of the expression of annexin A2 (ANXA2) in liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods The expression level of ANXA2 in normal liver,liver cirrhosis and HCC were examined by Western blot.The correlation between ANXA2 expression and clinicopathological parameters in liver fibrosis and HCC were analyzed by immunohistochemistry.Results Compared with the normal liver tissue,ANXA2 protein expression level increased significantly in HCC and liver cirrhosis,with the highest expression in HCC (P =0.000).There was significantly positive relationship between ANXA2 protein expression and stages for liver fibrosis (P ＜ 0.01).The expression of ANXA2 protein in HCC was closely associated with HBV infection,differentiation degree and the recurrence (P ＜ 0.05).In some cases,ANXA2-positive cancer cells were often dispersed in the periphery of cancer nodules and were adjacent to stromal cells.Conclusion Overexpression of ANXA2 may be involved in liver fibrosis and play a role in the development of HCC,indicating ANXA2 may serve as a diagnostic biomarker for liver fibrosis and tumor differentiation in HCC.