Abstract:

Objective To detect the mRNA and protein levels of tumor necrosis factor-α-induced protein 8-like 2 (TIPE2) and FOXP3 in patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their clinical significances. Methods A total of 60 surgical specimens from patients with HCC and cirrhosis were enrolled. The expression levels of TIPE2 and FOXP3 in liver tissues were evaluated using immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The correlation of TIPE2 and FOXP3 levels with pathological grading, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), aspartate transaminase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and other clinical data was analyzed. Results The mRNA and protein levels of TIPE2 were significantly down-regulated (P<0.01), while those of FOXP3 were significantly up-regulated in HCC tissues compared to cirrhosis tissues (P<0.01). Importantly, the mRNA and protein levels of TIPE2 were negatively correlated with FOXP3 expressions (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). Furthermore, TIPE2 and FOXP3 levels were correlated with pathological grade of HCC tissue, and lower TIPE2 and higher FOXP3 levels indicated lower differentiation level. TIPE2 expression was negatively correlated with the AFP level, AST/ALT ratio, neutrophil count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Conclusion TIPE2 is involved in the liver diseases by negatively regulating the function of FOXP3⁺ Tregs-induced immune response, and negatively participates in the occurrence of HCC.

Key words: liver diseases, TIPE2, FOXP3, liver tissue, immunomodulation