Significance of Toll-like Receptor 4 ( TLR4 )& Liver Fatty Acid-binding Protein (L-FABP) Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma An Immunohistochemical Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Pathology, Benha faculty of medicine, Benha University, Egypt

2 Department of Hepatology, Gastroentrology and Infectious Diseases, Benha faculty of medicine, Benha University, Egypt

Abstract

Back ground: Persistent inflammatory conditions can induce tumorigenesis . It is therefore very important to explore the molecular mechanisms involved in progression from chronic hepatitis to cirrhosis to HCC - to identify factors useful for the development of effective therapies that improve patient survival.                                                     Aim of the study: Evaluation of TLR-4 and L-FABP expression in cases of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and HCC and correlate them with clinicopathological parameters. Methods: A retrospective, immunohistochemical study was performed on 50 liver cases; 32 cases of HCC, 10 cases of chronic hepatitis C, and 8 cases of cirrhosis.  Results: There was statistical significant increase in TLR-4   expression in HCC than both chronic liver hepatitis and cirrhosis (P<0.05). There was positive statistical significant correlation between TLR-4expression and size & grade of HCC (P<0.05) . There was highly statistical significant decrease in L-FABP expression in HCC than both chronic liver hepatitis and cirrhosis (P< 0.001). Conclusion: TLR-4 has a role in hepatocarcinogenesis as TLR-4 expression increased with progression from chronic hepatitis to cirrhosis to HCC. Increased TLR-4 expression associated with large tumor size and higher grade of HCC, so it may serve a tool for prognosis of HCC. L-FABP expression decreased with progression from chronic hepatitis to cirrhosis to HCC. So its downregulation may contribute in pathogenesis of HCC.

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