Impact of focused ultrasound on expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α, vascular endothelial growth factor and mutant type p53 in vulvar skin of rat models with low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion / 中国介入影像与治疗学

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore the impact of focused ultrasound on expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α),vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and mutant type p53 (mtp53) in vulvar skin of rat models with low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL). Methods: A total of 28 rat models with LSIL were established and randomly divided into treatment group and control group (each n=14). The rat models in treatment group were treated with focused ultrasound, while in control group only received sham irradiation (no power output from ultrasonic therapeutic instrument). Histological changes of vulvar skin in SD rats were observed 4 weeks later. The expression of HIF-1α, VEGF and mtp53 protein were detected using immunohistochemistry. Results: After 4 weeks of focused ultrasound irradiation/sham irradiation, there were 92.86% (13/14) rats return to normal in treatment group and 71.43% (10/14) rats progressed into high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) in control group. Compared with control group, HIF-1α, VEGF and mtp53 protein levels significantly decreased in treatment group (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Focused ultrasound treatment can improve the microenvironment of local vulvar tissue by decreasing the expression of HIF-1α, VEGF and mtp53 in vulvar skin, therefore can be used to treat LSIL safely and effectively in rat models.