High expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in macrophages of human colonic adenoma

✍ Scribed by Hiromi Bamba; Shinichi Ota; Akira Kato; Akiko Adachi; Shinji Itoyama; Fukashi Matsuzaki

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 967 KB
• Volume: 83
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19991112)83:4<470::aid-ijc6>3.0.co;2-f

✦ Synopsis

Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 is a possible molecular target for suppression of colon carcinogenesis by non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, the expression of COX-2 in human colonic tumors during the adenomacarcinoma sequence has not been elucidated. In the present study, we examined immuno-histochemically the expression and localization of the COX-2 protein in human colonic adenomas and cancers. Twelve human colonic adenomas and 9 advanced cancers were studied. Immunoreactive COX-2 was predominantly and strongly expressed in sub-epithelial interstitial cells broadly present in the surface area of adenomas. The staining pattern of macrophages was similar to that observed for COX-2 in adenomas. Adjacent normal colonic mucosa was negative for COX-2 expression. In contrast, COX-2 was relatively weakly expressed in both tumor cells and interstitial cells in advanced colon cancers. In conclusion, the target of NSAIDs in preventing colon carcinogenesis may be the COX-2 expressed in interstitial cells, possibly macrophages, of colonic adenomas.