Objective: To study the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and grading (G) and staging (S) of hepatitis B (HB).
Methods: Immunohistochemical staining was performed with VEGF monoclonal antibody in 250 biopsies of HB.
Results: The types of VEGF expression in liver tissues were of plasma type, sinusoidal membrane type and sinusoidal endothelial cell type. VEGF was mainly secreted by hepatocytes, and was also positively expressed in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, fat-storing cells, myofibroblast and monomorphological nuclear cells. And it was negative in vascular endothelial cells and hepatocytes which had not significant damage, suggesting that the expression of VEGF was enhanced with the increase of G (chi(2)=90.43, P<0.01). VEGF was positively expressed on those whose scores of S were lower, while strongly positively expressed on those whose scores of S were higher. There was also a significant difference between them (chi(2)=115.74, P<0.01).
Conclusion: The expressions of VEGF are related to G and S of HB