Title:GRP78 is Overexpressed in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Tissues and is
Associated with High VEGF Expression in Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A
Pilot Study
Volume: 23
Issue: 10
Author(s): Maha Al-Keilani*, Mohammad A. Alqudah, Basima Almomani, Moath M. Alrjoub, Batool A. Shhabat and Karem Alzoubi
Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110,
Jordan
Keywords:
NSCLC, angiogenesis, GRP78, CD31, VEGF, cancer.
Abstract:
Background: Neovascularization is essential for the growth and progression of tumor tissues.
GRP78 is frequently overexpressed in various cancers and has been suggested as a proangiogenic
factor.
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the expression levels of GRP78 and to test for significant
relationships with the angiogenic markers, VEGF, and CD31.
Methods: In this study, paraffin-embedded NSCLC tissue samples (71 adenocarcinomas and 23 squamous
cell carcinoma) were retrospectively collected from 94 patients with NSCLC. The expressions of
VEGF, CD31, and GRP78 were determined by immunohistochemistry.
Results: High expression levels of VEGF and GRP78 were observed in 65 and 74 cases, respectively.
Thirty-six patients expressed high CD31 levels. Adenocarcinomas expressed higher levels of the three
proteins than squamous cell carcinomas (p-value < 0.05). Moreover, a statistically significant association
was found between the expression levels of VEGF and CD31 (p-value = 0.001) and VEGF and
GRP78 (p-value=0.028).
Conclusion: GRP78 overexpression was revealed in most of the investigated samples. The positive
association between VEGF and GRP78 may indicate the proangiogenic role of GRP78 in lung cancer.
Moreover, the positive association between VEGF and CD31 expression levels suggests that VEGF
may cooperate with CD31 to promote angiogenesis in NSCLC.