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. 2018 Feb 28;19(3):685.
doi: 10.3390/ijms19030685.

Immunohistochemical Expression of Aquaporin-1 in Fluoro-Edenite-Induced Malignant Mesothelioma: A Preliminary Report

Giuseppe Angelico  1 , Rosario Caltabiano  2 , Carla Loreto  3 , Antonio Ieni  4 , Giovanni Tuccari  5 , Caterina Ledda  6 , Venerando Rapisarda  7
Affiliations

Immunohistochemical Expression of Aquaporin-1 in Fluoro-Edenite-Induced Malignant Mesothelioma: A Preliminary Report

Giuseppe Angelico et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Background: The immunohistochemical expression of aquaporin-1 (AQP1) in asbestos-related malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is emerging as a useful prognostic indicator of improved survival. A significantly increased incidence of MPM in a small town in southern Italy was ascribed to exposure to fluoro-edenite (FE), a naturally occurring asbestos fiber. We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of AQP1 in patients affected by FE-related MPM; taking into consideration its suggested independent prognostic role, its possible correlation with clinicopathological parameters and patient outcome was also evaluated.

Methods: Ten patients were selected for this study, as neoplastic tissue blocks, clinical and follow-up data were available. The immunohistochemical overexpression of AQP1 was defined as ≥50% of tumor cells showing membranous staining.

Results: Six cases showed AQP1 expression in ≥50% of tumor cells; in this group, a significant association of AQP1 overexpression with an increased median overall survival (OS) of 26.3 months was observed. By contrast, four patients exhibited an AQP1 score of <50% of stained cells, with a shorter median OS of 8.9 months.

Conclusions: The present study represents further confirmation of the hypothesized prognostic role of AQP1, which seems a reliable prognostic indicator.

Keywords: Biancavilla; NOA; asbestiform; asbestos; biomarker; cancer; fluoro-edenite; lung; malignant pleural mesothelioma.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Histology and aquaporin 1 (AQP1) immuno-expression in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) cases. (A) Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained section demonstrating a malignant neoplasm with a solid pattern of growth composed of epithelioid cells (×200); (B) The majority of neoplastic cells exhibited a positive immunohistochemical stain for AQP1. In detail, a linear and circumferential membranous staining with strong intensity was recorded (×200); (C) H&E stained section of a case of biphasic mesothelioma composed predominantly of neoplastic sarcomatoid cells with a spindled morphology (S) and occasional glandular structures (G) (×100); (D) AQP1 immunostain was recorded in <50% of tumor cells and was localized exclusively in the tumor areas with epithelial differentiation (×100).
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Linear and circumferential membranous staining for aquaporin-1 (AQP1) is depicted; (B) Vascular endothelial cells were used as positive control for AQP1 immunostain (arrows); (C) For comparison, the AQP1 immunohistochemical stain on non-neoplastic mesothelium is shown; in detail, the immunostain was exclusively localized to the apical cellular portion of mesothelial cells (arrows).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Kaplan-Meier survival curve of aquaporin-1 (AQP1) expression in fluoro-edenite (FE)-induced mesothelioma patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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