OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlation between midkine (MK) protein expression with local infiltration and metastasis in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODSImmunohistochemical and Western Blot analysis for MK were performed on samples of tumor tissue and the paratumor tissue from HCC and benign liver tumors.

RESULTSThe overexpression of MK protein determined by immunohistochemical analysis was similar to that by Western Blot analysis. No specific positivity was detected in either benign liver tumor tissue or normal liver tissue, but most of HCC tissue showed a positive reaction to MK immunostain. No correlation between MK expression and other clinicopathological features in MK negative or positive HCC cases was found. Yet, the overexpression rate of MK protein in HCC with intra-hepatic metastasis was significantly higher than that in HCC without intra-hepatic metastasis.

CONCLUSIONIn human hepatocellular carcinoma, MK overexpressed at protein level may very well be closely related to local infiltration and metastasis.