2011 Volume 59 Issue 4 Pages 249-257
We explored the relationship between transient portal vein clamping (TPVC)-induced adhesion molecule expression in the liver and liver metastasis. TPVC was achieved by clamping the portal vein of male F344/DU rats for 15min. For the investigation of liver metastasis, the portal vein was clamped in experimental rats and simple laparotomy was performed in control rats at the first operation. All rats were injected 6 and 18h post-first surgery with 4.0x106 ACL-15 colon carcinoma cells intrasplenically. The number of tumor nodules on the liver surface was determined 14 days later. For the investigation of gene and protein expression in the liver, E-selectin, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) were determined 6 or 18h after the first operation by quantitative RT-PCR for m-RNAs and immunohistochemical staining for proteins. Portal vein-clamped rats had significantly more liver metastatic foci than did unclamped controls. TPVC enhanced mRNA and protein expression of E-selectin, VCAM-1, and ICAM-1 on the liver in experimental rats, except for m-RNA ICAM-1 expression at 18h post surgery. It is supposed that factors produced by TPVC can upregulate the mRNA and protein expression of E-selectin, VCAM-1, and ICAM-1 on the liver, which may facilitate liver metastasis.