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

Chen, George G.; Lee, Tak W.; Yip, Johnson H.Y.; Xu, Hu; Lee, Isa K.Y.; Mok, Tony S.K.; Warner, Timothy D.; Yim, Anthony P.C.

doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2005.03.032

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Volume 234, Issue 2 , Pages 193-198, 28 March 2006

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

George G. Chen
- Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Shatin, Hong Kong
- Sir Y.K. Pao Centre for Cancer, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Shatin, Hong Kong
- Corresponding author. Address: Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Shatin, Hong Kong. Tel.: +852 2632 3934; fax: +852 2645 0605.
Tak W. Lee
- Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Shatin, Hong Kong
Johnson H.Y. Yip
- Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Shatin, Hong Kong
Hu Xu
- Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Shatin, Hong Kong
Isa K.Y. Lee
- Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Shatin, Hong Kong
- Sir Y.K. Pao Centre for Cancer, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Shatin, Hong Kong
Tony S.K. Mok
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Shatin, Hong Kong
Timothy D. Warner
- The William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
Anthony P.C. Yim
- Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Shatin, Hong Kong

Received 25 October 2004; received in revised form 18 March 2005; accepted 23 March 2005.

Abstract

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.