[Correlation of expression of nuclear factor kappaB, inhibitor protein kappaB, and Bcl-2 in cervical cancer to human papillomavirus infection].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: It was proved that nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) and its inhibitor protein kappaB (I-kappaB) played critical roles in regulating the expression of proapoptotic genes, and NF-kappaB is overexpressed in some tumors and related with tumorigenesis. However, the expression of NF-kappaB and I-kappaB in cervical cancer and its correlation to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection have not been reported yet. This study was to explore the correlation of the expression of NF-kappaB, I-kappaB, and Bcl-2 in cervical cancer to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. METHODS: The expression of NF-kappaB, I-kappaB, and Bcl-2 were detected by immunohistochemistry in 46 specimens of cervical cancer and 26 specimens of normal cervical tissue. HPV DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: The positive rates of NF-kappaB and Bcl-2 were significantly higher in cervical cancer than in normal cervical tissue (60.9% vs. 23.1%, 52.2% vs. 0.0%, P < 0.01). The positive rate of I-kappaB was significantly lower in cervical cancer than in normal cervical tissue (30.4% vs. 57.7%, P < 0.05). The expression of NF-kappaB was closely related to Bcl-2 (P < 0.05). The positive rate of NF-kappaB was significantly higher in HPV DNA-positive cervical cancer than in HPV DNA-negative cervical cancer (81.3% vs. 35.7%, P < 0.05), but the positive rates of I-kappaB and Bcl-2 between these 2 groups had no significant difference (P >0.05). CONCLUSION: The high expression of NF-kappaB and Bcl-2 and the low expression of I-kappaB may be related to cervical carcinogenesis, and NF-kappaB expression may be related to HPV infection.