Differential caspase-3 expression in noncancerous, premalignant and cancer tissues of stomach and its clinical implication

Abstract

Background: Caspase-3 is a critical apoptosis-promoting element but its status during stepwise gastrocarcinogenesis needs to be further clarified.

Materials and methods: By the use of frozen tissue microarrays constructed with the tissue spots cored from defined histological regions in tissue blocks, the pattern of caspase-3 expression in noncancerous, premalignant (atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia) tissue and cancer spots were analyzed under the same experimental conditions by the methods of immunohistochemistry and mRNA-in situ hybridization.

Results: Caspase-3 was expressed in all 34 of the noncancerous mucosa (100%), in 16 of the 17 premalignant tissues (94.1%) and in 15 of the 48 gastric cancers (31.3%). The incidences of caspase-3 detection were significantly different (p<0.01) between noncancerous mucosa and intestinal as well as diffuse gastric cancers.

Conclusion: Down-regulated caspase-3 is closely correlated with gastric cancer formation and would be a potential indicator of tumor formation and progression. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori; Hp) infection is but not the only one element responsible to the enhanced caspase-3 expression in gastric epithelia.