In order to investigate the inhibitory effects on the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and cell growth in hapatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by blocking HIF-1α and Smad3 binding site in the VEGF promoter, antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ASODN) were designed to block HIF-1α and Smad3 binding site in the VEGF promoter. Different concentrations of ASODN and ODN were transfected into HCC cells respectively. The expression of VEGF mRNA and protein was detected by SABC, Western blot and RT-PCR techniques and the inhibitory effects on the expression of VEGF and cell growth of the HCC cells stimulated by the supernatants were determined by using MTT method. Immunohistochestry revealed that after co-inoculation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells with different concentrations of ODN and ASODN for 48 h, there was no significant difference in the expression of VEGF protein between ODN group and control group (P>0.05), but there was significant difference between ASODN, the difference was very significant (P<0.01). Western blot and RT-PCR revealed that, after treatment for 48 h at a concentration of 10 μmol/L, the integral gray levels and RNA odds were 59743.2±10412.5 and 0.783±0.032 in ODN group, and 38694.5±10925.1 and 0.468±0.015 in ASODN group, respectively, with the difference being very significant (P<0.01). Antisense ODN could inhibit the growth of HCC cells in a concentration-dependent manner. It was concluded that anti-gene technique of aiming at HIF-1α action site in the VEGF promoter could suppress the VEGF expression and inhibit HCC cell growth, and it is promising that anti-gene technique works as a new gene therapeutic tool for anti-angiogenesis of HCC.

Circulating vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in patients with colorectal carcinoma were determined in order to assess their clinical significance as a diagnostic tool for monitoring lymph node metastasis. In 66 patients with colorectal carcinoma and 30 healthy controls, circulating VEGF-C and VEGF levels were assessed by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum VEGF-C and VEGF levels were higher in patients with colorectal carcinoma than in healthy controls. Patients with lymph node metastasis had higher serum VEGF-C and VEGF levels than those without lymph node metastasis. The levels of VEGF-C and VEGF were higher in the invasion group than in the non-invasion group. Serum VEGF-C levels reached a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 76% with a cutoff value of 1438.0 pg/mL, whereas VEGF levels reached 72% sensitivity and 74% specificity at 240.2 pg/ mL If 66 patients were divided into 4 groups according to the combined determination of VEGF-C and VEGF levels, the positive predictive value was 85.3%, the negative predictive value was 94.6% and accuracy was 93.7%. It was suggested that circulating VEGF-C levels might provide additional information for distinguishing the absence from presence of lymph node metastasis in patients with colorectal carcinoma. The combined determination of VEGF-C and VEGF levels could be used as an important index for preoperatively clinical stage of colorectal carcinoma.