Changes of serum GPC3 and GP73 contents in patients with liver cancer and their correlation with angiogenesis and epithelial mesenchymal transition

Objective: To study the changes of serum phosphatidylinositol proteinglycan-3 (GPC3) and Golgi protein-73 (GP73) contents in patients with liver cancer and their correlation with angiogenesis and epithelial mesenchymal transition. Methods: The patients with liver cancer who underwent surgical resection in our hospital between April 2014 and October 2017 were selected as liver cancer group, healthy subjects who received physical examination during the same period were selected as control group, and the contents of GPC3 and GP73 in serum as well as the contents of GPC3 and GP73, the expression of angiogenesis genes and epithelial mesenchymal transition genes in liver cancer lesions and adjacent lesions of the two groups of subjects were determined. Results: GPC3 and GP73 contents in serum of liver cancer group were significantly higher than those of control group, GPC3 and GP73 contents in liver cancer lesions were significantly higher than those in adjacent lesions, and the GPC3 and GP73 contents in serum of liver cancer group were positively correlated with GPC3 and GP73 contents in liver cancer lesions;SULT2B1, VEGF, Ang-2, Shh, Twist and N-cadherin mRNA expression in liver cancer lesions were significantly higher those in adjacent lesions and positively correlated with the GPC3 and GP73 contents in serum whereas TUM5, Foxg1 and E-cadherin mRNA expression were significantly lower than those in adjacent lesions and negatively correlated with the GPC3 and GP73 contents in serum. Conclusion: The increase of serum GPC3 and GP73 contents in patients with liver cancer is closely related to the aggravation of angiogenesis and epithelial mesenchymal transition in the lesions.