Page 135 - ebook HCC

PROGRAMME
132 PROGRAMME AND ABSTRACTSAND ABSTRACTS GENEVA, SWITZERLAND EASL HCC SUMMIT 133
132
FEBRUARY 13 - 16, 2014

Poster Board Number B28

ANGIOPOIETIN 2 EXPRESION IS ASSOCIATED NOTES
WITH PROGRESSION OF INFLAMMATION
AND FIBROSIS IN TISSUE LIVER OF CHRONIC
HEPATITIS C PATIENTS

Ángel Hernández-Bartolomé , Rosario Lopez-Rodriguez , Maria Jesús Borque ,
1
1
1
Yolanda Rodriguez-Muñoz , Luisa Garcia-Buey , Paloma Sanz-Cameno ,
1
1
1
Ricardo Moreno-Otero 1
1 Liver Unit, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, Madrid, Spain
Corresponding author’s e-mail: angel.nandez@hotmail.com
Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection often progresses to chronic hepatitis
C (CHC), one of the leading causes of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Angiogenesis is closely related to the pathogenesis of chronic liver disease and its
progression to HCC.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-
BASIC POSTER ABSTRACTS 2) in liver tissue of CHC patients and uninfected subject. BASIC POSTER ABSTRACTS

Methodology: The study included 55 liver biopsies of CHC patients (n = 47) and uninfected
controls (n = 8) of both sexes between 35-60 years old (archive Liver Unit). Biopsies were
classified according to the METAVIR system based on the liver inflammation degree and
fibrosis stage and stored in biological embedding medium (OCT) at -80°C until analysis.
After thawing, biopsies were homogenized at 4°C in RIPA buffer with protease inhibitors
and analyzed the expression of Ang-2 by western blotting and ELISA assays. Groups
were compared using Mann-Whitney non parametric test and data were analyzed by
using Pearson correlation coefficient.
Results: Ang-2 levels were significantly higher in liver biopsies of CHC patients compared
with uninfected controls. In turn, we observed that Ang-2 levels were significantly higher (p
<0.05) in patients with advanced grade inflammation (A3) and fibrosis (F3-F4). Interestingly,
the expression of Ang-2 was significantly and positively correlated with inflammation and
fibrosis in group of CHC patients (p <0.03 and 0.02, respectively).
Conclusions: The relationship between expression Ang-2 and the progression of CHC
may reflect the alteration of vacular homeostasis in liver of these patients and constitute
an important target for therapeutic intervention as potential marker to HCC development.