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. 1999 Nov;45(5):730–732. doi: 10.1136/gut.45.5.730

Differential expression of cyclooxygenase 2 in human colorectal cancer

J Dimberg 1, A Samuelsson 1, A Hugander 1, P Soderkvist 1
PMCID: PMC1727716  PMID: 10517910

Abstract

BACKGROUND—Experimental, clinical, and epidemiological studies have implicated mitogenic metabolites of arachidonic acid such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in colorectal carcinogenesis. Recently, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) which catalyses the conversion of arachidonic acid to PGE2, has displayed increased levels in human colorectal cancer.
AIMS—To evaluate whether there is differential COX-2 expression from different locations (caecum, ascending, transverse, descending, or sigmoid colon, and rectum) in human colorectal cancer.
METHODS—Protein levels of COX-2 were determined by western blot analysis in tumours and adjacent normal mucosa of 39 patients with colorectal cancer.
RESULTS—There was a notable overexpression of COX-2 protein in tumours located in the rectum (p<0.001) compared with other locations in the colon. Rectal tumours revealed elevated COX-2 protein levels in 18/20 cases compared with 4/19 colonic cases. No association between enhanced COX-2 protein expression in tumour tissue and Dukes's stages was found.
CONCLUSIONS—Results suggest that the differential COX-2 expression may be due to differences in gene regulatory factors affecting COX-2 expression and/or reflect secondary changes in tumour progression which may have clinical implications.


Keywords: cyclooxygenase 2; protein expression; human colorectal cancer

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Figure 1  .

Figure 1  

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Western blot analysis of cyclooxygenase (COX) 2 protein expression in four representative specimens of human colorectal cancer. T, tumour tissue; N, matched normal mucosa from different locations. Molecular weight marker is indicated on the left.

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