COX-2与肝癌的关系研究进展

Relationship between COX-2 and hepatocellular carcinoma

环氧合酶(COX)是前列腺素合成的限速酶,主要有两种同工酶:COX-1和COX-2,其中COX-2是一种诱导酶,在组织损伤、炎症、肿瘤等情况下表达增强。肝癌是一种常见的恶性肿瘤,主要与病毒感染、黄曲霉毒素、过量酒精摄入等因素有关,但确切的发病机制尚不明确。目前肝癌没有特效治疗手段,预后较差,是世界范围内沉重的医疗负担。近年来,不断有研究结果表明C0X-2与多种肿瘤,尤其是消化道肿瘤密切相关,非甾体类抗炎药(non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,NSAIDs)对肿瘤有一定的防治作用,这些发现为有效防治肝癌提供了新的思路。本文就COX-2与肝癌关系的研究进展作一概述。

Cyclooxygenase （COX） is a rate-limiting enzyme in the production of prostaglandins, and there exist two main isoforms of COX ： the constitutive COX-1 and the inducible COX-2. COX-2 is highly expressed in response to inju- ry, inflammation and stimuli that mediate carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is one of the most prevalent malignancies. Major risk factors of HCC identified include hepatitis B and C virus infections, exposure to aflatoxin, and excessive intake of alcohol, but the molecular mechanisms have not been fully known. HCC is a major health problem globally due to its poor prognosis, and neither efficient secondary prevention nor systemic treat- ments are currently available. Recently, a growing number of evidence suggest that COX-2 is implicated in carcinogene- sis, especially in gastric tumors. Studies show that COX-2 inhibition have prophylactic and therapeutic benefit for HCC. And those offer a novel chemopreventive and therapeutic approach to HCC. In this paper, the progress of the relation- ship between COX-2 and HCC was reviewed.