Angiogenesis in colorectal cancer and its relationship with apoptosis and proliferation / 中华消化杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF), microvessel density (MVD) and the relationship among angiogenesis,proliferation,and apoptosis in colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods Expression of VEGF mRNA was evaluated by semi quantitative RT PCR in 52 CRC samples and 48 adjacent normal colorectal tissue samples. The PCR product was sequenced to verify the desired results. Expressions of VEGF protein, MVD, proliferating index (PI), and apoptotic index (AI) were detected by immunohistochemical methods in 52 human CRC. Results Expression of VEGF mRNA was detected in a significantly greater proportion of colorectal carcinoma samples than that adjacent normal colorectal tissues (76.9% vs. 52.1%; P 0.05). The expression of VEGF protein was positively correlated with PI ( r =0.409, P 0.05). Conclusions VEGF may play an important role in the angiogenesis of colorectal carcinoma and cell proliferation, but may not directly correlate with cell apoptosis.