Increased thromboxane B2 levels are associated with lipid peroxidation and Bcl-2 expression in human lung carcinoma

There is little information regarding simultaneous investigations of thromboxane A2 (TXA2) lipid peroxidation and Bcl-2, three cancer-related agents, and analyses of their relationships in lung cancer. The present study was to study thromboxane B2 (TXB2), a stable metabolite of TXA2, lipid peroxidation and Bcl-2 expression in 52 non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) tissue samples. The level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), an index for lipid peroxidation was significantly increased in the lung tumor tissues, compared with non-tumor tissues. TXB2 was much higher in the tumor tissues than non-tumor tissues. Interestingly, the concentration of TXB2 in samples from those who smoked was higher than that from those who did not smoke. The expression of Bcl-2 was significantly elevated in the tumor tissues, compared to the non-tumor tissues. There was also a positive correlation between TXB2 and TBARS in tumor tissues; advanced stage cancers had higher levels of TXB2. This finding supports the idea that TXB2 may have a role in promoting tumor growth. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that the production of TXB2 is increased in lung tumor tissues and that such an increase can result in lipid peroxidation which may be met by an elevation in Bcl-2 expression.