Hepatic Bone Morphogenetic Protein and Activin Membrane-Bound Inhibitor Levels Decline in Hepatitis C but Are Not Associated with Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Bibliographic Details
Title: Hepatic Bone Morphogenetic Protein and Activin Membrane-Bound Inhibitor Levels Decline in Hepatitis C but Are Not Associated with Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Florian Weber, Kirsten Utpatel, Katja Evert, Thomas S. Weiss, Christa Buechler
Source: Biomedicines, Vol 12, Iss 10, p 2397 (2024)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: LCC:Biology (General)
Subject Terms: histologic grade, fibrosis, hepatitis, UICC score, immunohistochemistry, Biology (General), QH301-705.5
More Details: Background/Objectives: Bone morphogenetic protein and activin membrane-bound inhibitor (BAMBI) is an antagonist of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β type 1 signaling. BAMBI functions as an anti-fibrotic protein and exerts pro- as well as anti-cancerogenic activities. Our study aimed to correlate hepatocyte BAMBI protein levels in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with T stage, lymph node invasion, vessel invasion, grading, tumor size and Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) stage, as well as with liver inflammation and fibrosis stages. Methods: Hepatocyte BAMBI protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in HCC tissues of 320 patients and non-tumor tissues of 51 patients. Results: In the HCC tissues of the whole cohort and sex-specific analysis, BAMBI protein was not related to T stage, vessel invasion, lymph node invasion, histologic grade, UICC stage and tumor size. Accordingly, BAMBI was not associated with overall survival, recurrence-free and metastasis-free survival. BAMBI protein levels in tumor and non-tumor tissues were not related to inflammation and fibrosis grade. BAMBI protein levels in HCC tissues and non-tumor tissues from HCC patients, which were analyzed by immunoblot in a small cohort and by immunohistochemistry in the tissues of patients described above, were similar. Notably, BAMBI protein was low-abundant in HCC tissues of hepatitis C virus (HCV) compared to hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients with comparable disease severity. Immunoblot analysis revealed reduced BAMBI protein in non-tumor tissues of patients with HCV in comparison to patients with HBV and normal human liver tissues. Conclusions: In summary, this analysis showed that hepatocyte BAMBI protein levels of patients with HCC are related to HCV infection rather than the severity of the underlying liver disease and cancer staging.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2227-9059
Relation: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/12/10/2397; https://doaj.org/toc/2227-9059
DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12102397
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/60541e68dbea452b8feaf6b08f388d42
Accession Number: edsdoj.60541e68dbea452b8feaf6b08f388d42
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:22279059
DOI:10.3390/biomedicines12102397
Published in:Biomedicines
Language:English