Objective: To elucidate the significance of anti-oxidant protein peroxiredoxin 6 (Prx6) expression in gastric cancer (GC) tissue.
Methods: Eighty-six GC tissues and 69 para-cancer tissues from surgically resected specimens were included. And the clinico-pathological data were collected by reviewing medical records. Tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to detect Prx6 protein expression in tissues.
Results: Prx6 protein was predominantly expressed in cytoplasm. Its expression rate in GC tissues (32.6%, n = 28) was significantly lower than that in para-cancer normal tissues (94.2%, n = 65, P < 0.05). And its protein overexpression rate in well and moderately-differentiated GC tissues was significantly higher than that in lowly-differentiated ones (39.6% (21/53) vs 6.1% (2/33), P < 0.05). Prx6 expression in gastric cancer tissues was not significantly related to age and sex of patients, lesion site, depth of invasion, clinical staging, vascular invasion and liver metastasis.
Conclusions: The level of Prx6 protein is lower in GC tissues than that in normal para-cancer ones. And it is significantly correlated with the differentiation degree of GC.