LAUSR

OBJECTIVE The incidence and progression of infantile hemangioma depend on several factors. The objective of the present study was to analyze the expression of MMP-9, VEGF, and p16 in hemangioma, and evaluate the clinical significance of the correlation between the gene and protein expression of MMP-9 and VEGF. PATIENTS AND METHODS 60 pathological tissue samples from patients with hemangioma (30 cases of proliferative hemangioma and 30 cases of degenerative hemangioma) and 30 normal epidermal tissue samples were collected. Tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry. Additionally, MMP-9 and VEGF gene expression were evaluated by qRT-PCR to determine the correlation between gene and protein level. RESULTS Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of MMP-9 and VEGF was higher in proliferative hemangioma, while the expression of p16 was lower, and the differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). According to qRT-PCR, MMP-9 and VEGF gene expression were positively correlated with their protein expression (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The tumor suppressor gene p16 is negatively correlated with the occurrence and degradation of hemangioma. Furthermore, the gene and protein expression of MMP-9 and VEGF in infantile hemangioma are positively correlated. The levels of MMP-9 and VEGF are higher in the proliferative stage of hemangioma than other stages. Both MMP-9 and VEGF facilitate angiogenesis and tumorigenesis, and are likely to serve as markers for the development of hemangioma in the future.