We unveiled the association of Annexin A7 with vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and the effect of upregulation of Annexin A7 in Hca-F and Hca-P cells on inhibiting hepatocarcinoma (HCC) lymph node metastasis (LNM) in vitro and in vivo. A total of 200 inbred 615 mice were randomly divided into four equal groups inoculated with Hca-F, Hca-P, FAnxa7-upregulated, and PAnxa7-upregulated cells, respectively. The primary tumor, popliteal, inguinal, and iliac lymph nodes were prepared for immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis, Western blot, and hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. There was over 50 % increase both in the number of FAnxa7-upregulated and PAnxa7-upregulated cells migrated through the filter compared to their controls (FAnxa7-control, Hca-F and PAnxa7-control, Hca-P). However, no significant differences were noted in invasion ability between them (all P > 0.05). Tumor lymph vessels were significantly reduced in FAnxa7-upregulated and PAnxa7-upregulated tumors when compared with Hca-F and Hca-P tumors (all P < 0.05). Blood vessel density did not differ significantly between FAnxa7-upregulated and PAnxa7-upregulated tumors and Hca-F and Hca-P tumors. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for VEGF-C showed that upregulating Annexin A7 decreased VEGF-C secretion in FAnxa7-upregulated and PAnxa7-upregulated cells (P < 0.05). The IHC staining result showed that the level of serum Annexin A7 was found to be statistically higher in all experimental groups than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The present results indicated that alterations in serum Annexin A7 expression may be of prognostic relevance in HCC lymphatic metastasis.
Keywords: Annexin A7; Hepatocarcinoma; Lymph node metastasis; Vascular endothelial growth factor-C.