Tyssue-type plasminogen activator activity in morphologically normal tissues adjacent to gastrointestinal carcinomas is associated with the degree of tumor progression.

GABRIEL SCICOLONE; VIVIANA SANCHEZ; LILIANA VAUTHAY; FEDERICO FUENTES; ALEJANDRO SCICOLONE; LORENZO SCICOLONE; MELINA RAPACIOLI; VLADIMIR FLORES

JOURNAL OF CANCER RESEARCH AND CLINICAL ONCOLOGY

Springer-Verlag

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2006 vol. 132 p. 309 - 319

0171-5216

Purpose: To investigate whether the level ofplasminogen activator (PA) activity assayed in gastrointestinalcarcinomas and the ??morphologically normaltissues?? adjacent to them is associated with the degree oftumor progression. Methods: Tumor and ??normal tissues??were obtained from gastrointestinal surgicalsamples to assess urokinase-type (u-PA) and tissue-typeplasminogen activator (t-PA) activities by radial caseinolyticassay and the expression of PA inhibitor-1(PAI-1) by ELISA. We compared the PA system betweenthe tumor and ??normal tissues?? and we investigatedthe existence of correlations between: (a) PAproduction in the tumor and ??normal tissues??, (b) differentcomponents of the PA system, and (c) PA systemand the degree of tumor progression. Results: (1) TotalPA activity, u-PA activity and PAI-1 expression aresignificantly higher in tumor than in ??normal tissues??,whereas t-PA activity does not differ between them. (2)Total PA activity mainly correlates with u-PA activity intumor tissues and similarly with u-PA and t-PA activitiesin ??normal tissues??. (3) There is a significant associationbetween t-PA activity in tumor and ??normaltissues?? and the degree of tumor progression. Conclusions:??Morphologically normal tissues?? adjacent tocarcinomas present abnormal t-PA activity that isassociated with the degree of tumor progression.Assaying of this activity could be useful as a predictiveparameter.