Evaluation of Osteopontin and Pokémon genes expression in hepatitis C virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma

Temporal trends in prevalence of liver cancer and etiology-specific liver cancer from 1990 to 2019

BACKGROUND

Liver cancer (LC) remains a major cause of cancer death worldwide. Grasping prevalence trends is key to informing strategies for control and prevention. We analyzed the global, regional and national trends in LC prevalence and its major causes from 1990 to 2019.

METHODS

We obtained LC age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) estimates from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019 and assessed trends using Joinpoint regression. LC cases were categorized into those due to hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), alcohol use, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and other causes.

RESULTS

While the ASPR of LC has shown a global decrease, there are specific regions where an increase in ASPR has been observed, with the highest rates in America. HBV remained the leading cause of LC (41.45 %) but significant increases occurred for HCV, alcohol use and NASH. Prevalence correlated with socioeconomic development. High-income countries had higher LC rates from HCV and alcohol but lower HBV-related LC. In high-income nations, LC prevalence climbs; the converse holds in middle- and low-income countries.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite a global ASPR decrease, LC due to HCV, NASH, and alcohol is rising. Prevention strategies must prioritize HBV vaccination, HCV treatment, and alcohol regulation.

IMPACT

The study informs targeted LC control policies and emphasizes the importance of continued monitoring and regional cooperation to combat LC.

EIF3B affects the invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via the TGFBI/MAPK/ERK pathway

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

To study the effect of eukaryotic initiation factor 3B (EIF3B) on the invasion and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its potential mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The clinical significance of EIF3B expression was studied with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Profiling Interaction Analysis datasets. Immunohistochemical staining and western blotting were used to examine EIF3B expression in cell lines and tissues from HCC patients. The scratch assay and transwell assay were used to measure the invasion and metastasis of different HCC cell lines in vitro. The molecular mechanism of EIF3B was determined using RNA-seq and identification of dysregulated signaling pathways. Western blotting was used to verify the alterations of EIF3B signaling functioned in the promotion of HCC progression.

RESULTS

Elevated expression of EIF3B in HCC correlated significantly with aggressive clinicopathologic characteristics, including advanced tumor grade and poor prognosis. Studies with cultured cells indicated that EIF3B knockdown inhibited HCC cell invasion and metastasis by depressing the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). EIF3B also activated the TGFBI/MAPK/ERK signaling pathway by increasing the levels of pMEK and pERK.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that EIF3B functions as an oncogene in HCC that accelerates cell invasion, metastasis, and the EMT by stimulation of the TGFBI/MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. EIF3B is a potential target for the treatment of HCC.

Extracellular Vesicles Contribute to Viral-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Understanding Their Involvement in Viral Hepatitis and Their Potential as Biomarkers for Early Hepatocellular Carcinoma Detection

The high global prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C and the poor prognosis of hepatitis B and hepatitis C-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), necessitates the early diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Recent studies show that cell-to-cell communication via extracellular vesicles (EVs) is involved in the HCC progression. The objective of the following study was to explore the role of EVs in the progression of viral-induced HCC and investigate their potential for the early diagnosis of cancer. First, the mRNA derived from EVs of HCC patients was compared to the mRNA derived from EVs from the healthy controls. Expression analysis of ANGPTL3, SH3BGRL3, and IFITM3 genes from the EVs was done. Afterward, to confirm whether hepatocytes can uptake EVs, HuH7 cells were exposed to EVs, and the expression analysis of downstream target genes (AKT, TNF-α, and MMP-9) in Huh7 cells was done. Transcriptional analysis showed that in the EVs from HCC patients, the expression levels of ANGPTL3, SH3BGRL3, and IFITM3 were significantly increased by 2.62-, 4.3-, and 9.03-folds, respectively. The downstream targets, AKT, TNF-α, and MMP-9, also showed a considerable change of 4.1-, 1.46-, and 5.05-folds, respectively, in Huh7 cells exposed to HCC EVs. In conclusion, the following study corroborates the role of EVs in HCC progression. Furthermore, the significant alteration in mRNA levels of the selected genes demonstrates their potential to be used as possible biomarkers for the early diagnosis of HCC.