Characterization of hepatocarcinoma cells: lymphatic metastasis potential through enhanced production, expression, and secretion along the VEGF-C/D-VEGFR-3/NRP-2 axis

• DOI: 10.1007/s12672-025-01901-z
• Publication Date: 2025-02-17T05:11:05Z
• Authors: Jingwen Wang; Xuejiao Qian; Zhiqi Yin; Dan Tong; Caihong Wang; Zhandong Hu; Wenjuan Cai; Jianwu Tang
• Keywords: Lymphatic Endothelium

In vitro and in vivo analyses were conducted to examine the correlations between production, expression, secretion of VEGF-C/D-VEGFR-3/NRP-2 axis various levels lymphatic metastatic potential murine hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Quantitative real-time PCR, western blotting, cytoimmunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay employed assess expression at gene, protein, cytological, histological levels. both experiments, ligands VEGF-C/D receptors VEGFR-3/NRP-2 primarily localized cytoplasm or cell membrane hepatocarcinoma F/P cells with high/low potentials, normal hepatocytes, respectively. The production significantly higher than those liver Additionally, this F compared P (P < 0.01). Notably, within cells, VEGF-C VEGFR-3 lower VEGF-D NRP-2 0.05). However, exceeded that supernatant cultured serum tumor-bearing mice Interestingly, ratio was hepatocytes. Moreover, notably elevated tumor from mice, as determined by ELISA, tissues assessed using other technologies significant co-production, co-expression, co-secretion are distinctive features particularly a heightened for metastasis.