Objective To study the correlations between O (6) -methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) gene promoter methylation status in malignant glioma tissues and both MGMT protein expression and survival prognosis in these patients, and evaluate the significance of MGMT gene methylation status analyzing with methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MS-MLPA) method in chemotherapy of brain glioma.Methods Thirty-nine patients with gliomas confirmed by pathology (WHO grade Ⅲ and grade Ⅳ)were collected in our study; the patient's overall survival (OS) after chemotherapy was tracked.MGMT protein expression of glioma tissues was detected by immunohistochemical staining,and MGMT promoter methylation status was detected by MS-MLPA method. Results Statistical difference of OS time was noted between patients with MGMT-negative and patients with MGMT-positive/-weak-positive (P=0.003).The prognosis in patients with positive MGMT protein expression was obviously poorer than that in patients with negative expression. In the groups of MGMT promoter un-methylation, mild hypermethylation, moderate hypermethylation and extensive hypermethylation, significant statistical difference of OS time was noted between each 2 groups (P＜0.05); the higher degree of methylation,the better prognosis. Statistical correlation was noted between MGMT protein expression and promoter methylation status (r=0.697,P=0.000); the higher degree ofmethylation,the lower protein exression of MGMT. Conclusion Both MGMT protein expression and promoter methylation status can be regarded as prognostic indicator of OS in patients with malignant glioma accepted alkylating agent chemotherapy; MS-MLPA is a reliable method to detect MGMT gene promoter methylation status.

Objective To investigate the expressions of interleukin-8 (IL-8) mRNA and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) protein in astrocytic tumors and their correlation with the tumor cell apoptosis. Methods The expressions of IL-8 mRNA in 64 cases of astrocytic tumor and 10 normal brain tissues were detected using RT-PCR. The expression of PCNA protein in the tumors was assayed with immunohistochemistry, and the apoptosis index (AI) of the tumor cells determined using TUNEL assay. Results The expression ofIL-8 mRNA in the astrocytic tumors was strongly correlated to the malignancy of the tumors, and both the PCNA expression and the apoptosis index increased in tumors of greater malignancies. IL-8 mRNA expression was positively correlated to the expression of PCNA (r=0.938, P<0.01) and AI (r=0.907, P<0.01) in these tumors. Conclusion IL-8 mRNA expression is positively correlated to the histological grade of the astrocytic tumors, whose proliferation is mediated by inhibition of cell apoptosis and upregulation of IL-8 transcription.