Dact1基因在结直肠癌组织中的表达及其相关性研究

目的：观测Dact1基因在结直肠癌组织的表达及其启动子甲基化状态,并探讨它们之间的关系及在结直肠癌发生中的作用.方法：采用逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测结直肠癌组织、癌旁组织各50例及正常对照组织20例Dact1基因mRNA的表达情况,甲基化特异性PCR（MSP）检测Dact1基因启动子甲基化状态.结果：结直肠癌组中,9例Dact1基因mRNA失表达（18%）,20例表达低于正常对照组（40%）;癌旁组织组中,1例Dact1基因mRNA失表达（2%）,3例表达低于正常对照组（6%）;正常对照组中,1例Dact1基因mRNA低表达（5%）.Dact1基因在癌组织、癌旁组织、正常对照组织中的甲基化阳性率分别为46%、12%、5%,癌组织组与癌旁组织组及正常对照组阳性率比较,差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.01）,而癌旁组织组和正常对照组阳性率比较,差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）.Dact1基因mRNA的失表达（低表达）与其启动子甲基化状态的相关性分析有统计学意义（P＜0.05）.结论：Dact1基因mRNA的失表达（低表达）可能参与了结直肠癌的发生发展,其失表达可能与Dact1启动子区甲基化相关.     

TIMP-3基因甲基化与结直肠癌临床病理的关系

目的：探讨TIMP-3基因甲基化与结直肠癌临床病理指标和转移复发的关系。 方法： 采用巢式甲基化特异性PCR技术（nMSP法）检测100例结直肠癌组织和100例癌旁非癌组织TIMP-3基因甲基化；采用RT-PCR检测100例结直肠癌组织和100例癌旁非癌组织TIMP-3 mRNA的表达。 结果： 肿瘤组织TIMP-3 mRNA的表达阳性率为64%，肿瘤组织TIMP-3 mRNA的表达率明显低于癌旁非癌组织（P＜0.01）；TIMP-3 mRNA的表达率无淋巴结转移组（34/42）高于淋巴结转移组（30/58）（P＜0.01），甲基化阳性率Duke’s C+D期伴淋巴结转移组明显高于Duke’s A+B期不伴淋巴结转移组（P＜0.05）。结肠近端、分化程度差的结直肠癌组织甲基化阳性率明显高于远端直肠和分化程度高者（P＜0.05）。 结论： TIMP-3基因甲基化容易发生在结肠近端、Duke’s C、D期、伴淋巴结转移、细胞分化差和浸润型结直肠癌患者。     

食管鳞状细胞癌中SFRP基因家族启动子区甲基化状态的检测

目的: 检测食管鳞状细胞癌(ESCC)中Wnt通路拮抗基因家族分泌型卷曲相关蛋白(SFRP)基因的甲基化状态,探讨其与食管鳞癌发生的关系。方法: 应用甲基化特异性PCR(MS-PCR)及RT-PCR的方法检测78例食管鳞癌及相应癌旁非肿瘤组织中 SFRP1 、 SFRP2 、 SFRP4 和 SFRP5 基因的甲基化状态及mRNA表达情况,并分析其与Wnt通路中心因子β-catenin蛋白表达的关系。结果: 在食管鳞癌组织中, SFRP1 、 SFRP2 、 SFRP4 和 SFRP5 基因的甲基化率分别为65.4%(51/78)、69.2%(54/78)、62.8%(49/78)和52.6%(41/78),均明显高于癌旁非肿瘤组织(P<0.01)。这4个基因的甲基化率与肿瘤患者的组织学分级及临床分期均无关,但它们共同发生甲基化的频率则与临床分期显著相关(P<0.05)。这4个基因mRNA的阳性表达率分别为42.3%(33/78)、46.2%(36/78)、50.0%(39/78)和39.7%(31/78),均明显低于癌旁非肿瘤组织(P<0.01)。在发生甲基化的食管癌组织中这4个基因的mRNA表达阳性率及β-catenin蛋白的异质表达率均明显低于未发生甲基化的癌组织,且差异显著(P<0.05)。结论: 食管鳞癌组织中 SFRP1 、 SFRP2 、 SFRP4 和 SFRP5 基因均呈高甲基化状态,并有可能通过Wnt/β-catenin信号转导通路参与了食管癌的发生。联合检测SFRP基因家族甲基化状态对于食管癌的预后判断有一定指导意义。     

食管鳞癌雌激素受体α基因启动子甲基化异常

【摘要】目的：研究雌激素受体α(ERα)基因及启动子超甲基化与食管鳞癌的关系。方法：用RT-PCR法检测2个食管鳞癌细胞系ERα mRNA表达情况,甲基化特异PCR技术（MSP）检测ERα基因启动子超甲基化,对超甲基化的细胞用脱氧胞苷（5-aza-dc）去甲基化后检测细胞ERα mRNA。MSP检测47份组织ERα基因启动子超甲基化。结果：食管鳞癌细胞系存在 ERα基因启动子甲基化及其引起的ERα mRNA表达缺失。57.4% (27/47)的原发性食管鳞癌细胞有ERα基因启动子区的超甲基化,其中女性患者ERα启动子超甲基化检出率73.7% (14/19),明显高于男性(15/28,53.6%,P<0.05)。结论：ERα基因启动子超甲基化与食管鳞状上皮细胞癌相关。     

DAPK1基因启动子甲基化与乳腺癌临床病理特征的关系

目的：研究乳腺癌组织中死亡相关蛋白激酶（death-associated protein kinase 1,DAPK1）启动子甲基化状态及其与临床病理特征之间的关系,并探讨该甲基化状态与DAPK1 mRNA表达的相关性。方法：应用甲基化特异性PCR法检测人乳腺癌组织和相应癌旁正常乳腺组织中DAPK1启动子甲基化状态,分析其与患者临床病理特征的关系,并结合半定量RT-PCR法的检测结果加以分析。结果：43例乳腺癌标本中DAPK1启动子甲基化阳性率为44.1%（20/43）,DAPK1启动子甲基化状态与年龄、肿瘤大小、组织学分级、TNM分期、ER状态、PR状态、Her2状态无关（P〉0.05）,而与有无淋巴结转移、P53是否阳性有关（P〈0.05）。DAPK1启动子甲基化标本中的DAPK1mRNA表达水平低于未甲基化标本,两者差异具有统计学意义（P〈0.05）。结论：乳腺癌中DAPK1基因启动子区高甲基化与其mRNA失表达有关,在乳腺癌发生、发展中可能起重要作用,有可能作为乳腺癌诊断和预后分析的检测指标之一。     

肾细胞癌RASSF1A基因启动子区甲基化状况与表达水平研究

目的检测19例肾细胞癌患者癌组织及癌旁组织Ras相关区域家族蛋白1A（RASSFlA）基因启动子区甲基化情况并检测其mRNA表达水平，探索两者之间的联系。方法收集肾细胞癌患者癌组织及相应癌旁组织19份，分别提取其基因组DNA，以甲基化特异性PCR（Methylation special PCR，MSP）法检测RASSFlA基因启动子区甲基化情况。并以QPCR法检测了RASSFlA基因的mRNA表达水平。结果19例中有lO例肾细胞癌患者癌组织存在高甲基化，mRNA表达水平表达降低，二者之间存在显著负相关性（r=-0．8734，P〈0．01）。结论肾细胞癌中RASSFlA基因启动子区存在高甲基化，并抑制该基因的表达。     

Wnt拮抗因子SFRP2在胃癌中的甲基化和异常表达

目的： 检测Wnt拮抗因子分泌型Frizzled相关蛋白2（SFRP2）在胃癌中的甲基化和表达状态,探讨SFRP2在胃癌发病机制中的作用。方法：采用甲基化特异性PCR（MSP）检测SFRP2在胃癌中的甲基化状态,采用即时定量PCR检测SFRP2在胃癌组织标本及其癌旁正常组织中的表达。采用逆转录PCR（RT-PCR）和Western blotting检测SFRP2在胃癌细胞系中的表达。结果：在胃癌组织中,有26例（65%）检出SFRP2甲基化,在其相应的癌旁组织中,有3例（7.5％）检出SFRP2甲基化。SFRP2在胃癌组织中的甲基化频率显著高于癌旁正常组织（χ2＝28.614,P<0.01）。SFRP2 mRNA在胃癌组织中表达显著低于癌旁正常组织（P<0.01）。在胃癌细胞系SGC-7901、AGS 和NCI-N87中,SFRP2在AGS和NCI-N87发生甲基化,表达消失,而在SGC-7901中未发生甲基化,存在表达。使用去甲基化试剂5-氮杂-2’-脱氧胞苷酸（DAC）处理AGS和NCI-N87后,SFRP2重新出现表达。结论：SFRP2在胃癌中存在表达下调,其主要由SFRP2发生甲基化所致。结果提示,SFRP2甲基化及表达下调参与了部分胃癌的发病过程。     

哈族食管鳞癌中PLCE1基因启动子甲基化水平的实验研究

目的探讨PLCE1基因启动子甲基化与食管鳞癌发生发展的关系。方法分别用免疫组化(IHC)和甲基化特异PCR(MSP)方法检测51例新疆哈萨克族食管鳞癌及相应癌旁正常组织中PLCE1蛋白表达水平及其启动子甲基化水平,分析其与病理资料相关性;分别用Western blot及MSP检测食管鳞癌细胞在5-aza-dC作用前后PLCE1蛋白表达及启动子甲基化变化情况。结果新疆哈萨克族食管鳞癌组织中PLCE1蛋白表达高于癌旁正常组织,而其基因甲基化水平则较低(P 0.001),且蛋白高表达的癌组织中其甲基化水平低于蛋白低表达的癌组织(P=0.028),PLCE1甲基化水平与其蛋白表达水平具有明显的相关性(χ~2=4.791,P=0.028),并与患者的淋巴结及远处转移(χ~2=7.242,P=0.027)和TNM分期(χ~2=7.883,P=0.019)明显相关;在食管鳞癌细胞系中PLCE1甲基化程度同样与蛋白表达水平成反比,5-aza-dC处理可抑制TE-1和Kyse150的PLCE1甲基化,提高其蛋白表达。结论食管鳞癌组织中PLCE1甲基化低与其蛋白表达高、淋巴结和远处转移及TNM分期相关,5-aza-dC处理可抑制PLCE1甲基化程度,增高其蛋白表达。     

人原发性肺癌组织中Rab相互作用溶酶体蛋白基因甲基化检测及其临床意义

目的 分析Rab相互作用溶酶体蛋白(RILP)在肺癌患者癌组织及肺癌细胞系中的表达及其甲基化情况,探索RILP基因的生物学功能。方法 收集重庆医科大学附属长寿人民医院88例肺癌患者的癌组织和癌旁组织标本,分别用免疫组化染色、荧光定量PCR检测RILP蛋白及mRNA表达水平。选取肺癌细胞系(H1299、A549、H358、H19936和H460)和正常肺上皮细胞系(BEAS-2B),用荧光定量PCR检测RILP mRNA表达水平。用甲基化特异性PCR检测肺癌组织及细胞中RILP的甲基化。分析肺癌患者一般临床资料与RILP甲基化的关系。用空载体或人源RILP表达载体转染A549细胞,用克隆形成实验检测细胞增殖活性。结果 肺癌组织RILP高表达率为13.64%,低于癌旁组织的76.14%(P <0.05),癌旁组织RILP mRNA表达水平高于肺癌组织(P <0.05),正常肺上皮细胞系中RILP mRNA表达水平均高于肺癌细胞系(P <0.05)。与正常肺上皮细胞系相比,RILP基因在肺癌细胞系中出现了明显的甲基化。60.23%(53/88)的肺癌患者发生RILP基因甲基...     

食管鳞癌患者肿瘤微环境中Th17细胞的表达及临床意义

目的:了解Th17细胞在食管鳞癌患者肿瘤微环境中表达水平,探讨其在食管鳞癌进展中的作用。方法:收集健康人外周血、食管鳞癌患者外周血、癌旁组织、癌组织标本,流式细胞术检测Th17细胞水平;实时荧光定量聚合酶链反应(QRT-PCR)检测RORγt、IL-17a mRNA表达水平。结果:食管鳞癌患者外周血、癌旁组织、癌组织中Th17细胞水平和RORγt、IL-17a mRNA表达水平较健康人外周血均升高,且癌组织>癌旁组织>患者外周血>健康人外周血,差异有统计学意义(均P<0.05)。食管鳞癌患者外周血中Th17细胞水平升高与患者性别、年龄、肿瘤大小无明显关系,但与有无淋巴结转移和TNM分期有关(P<0.01)。结论:食管鳞癌患者肿瘤微环境中Th17细胞水平和RORγt、IL-17a mRNA表达水平均升高,Th17细胞可能通过RORγt和IL-17a参与食管鳞癌进展过程。     

Expression of RKIP,E-cadherin and NF-kB p65 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and their correlations

To detect the expression of RKIP, E-cadherin and NF-kB p65 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and study their correlations. Steptavidin-peroxidase (S-P) method was employed to detect the expressions of RKIP, E-cadherin and NF-kB p65 in ESCC tissues from 77 cases and paracancerous tissues from 77 cases. The correlations between their expressions and clinicopathological indices and between the expressions of these proteins themselves were analyzed. The expressions of RKIP and E-cadherin in ESCC tissues were obviously lower than those in the paracancerous tissues (P<0.01); the expressions in ESCC tissues from cases with lymph node metastasis were lower than those from cases without lymph node metastasis (P<0.01); the expression of RKIP was positively correlated with the expression of E-cadherin in ESCC tissues (P<0.01). The expression of NF-kB p65 in ESCC tissues was correlated with clinical staging, lymph node metastasis and tumor differentiation (P<0.01); the expression of RKIP was negatively correlated with the expression of NF-kB p65 in ESCC tissues (P<0.05). Downregulation or depletion of RKIP was related to the onset and progression of ESCC, and facilitated the invasion and metastasis of ESCC by downregulating E-cadherin and upregulating NF-kB p65.     

受体相互作用蛋白1RIP1在食管鳞癌的表达及意义

目的明确受体相互作用蛋白1 RIP1在人食管鳞癌组织中的表达及与临床病理因素、病人预后的关系。方法使用免疫组化SP法检测76例人食管鳞癌组织和相对应的癌旁正常食管黏膜中RIP1的表达状况,并分析与临床病理因素如病人的性别、年龄、肿瘤大小、浸润深度、临床分期、分级、有无淋巴结转移的关系,并进行了随访。结果76例食管鳞癌中RIP1阳性的病例有53例,占69.7%,癌旁组织RIP1阳性的只有19例,占25%,差异有统计学意义,RIP1的阳性表达与病人的性别、年龄、肿瘤大小无关,与浸润深度、临床分期、分级、有无淋巴结转移成正相关,随访结果表明:食管鳞癌中RIP1阳性率越高,病人生存期越短,预后越差,RIP1蛋白的表达是个预后不良的独立因素。结论 RIP1在食管鳞癌中表达增高,可能参与食管鳞癌的发生。     

Promoter methylation and clinical significance of GPX3 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BackgroundGlutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3) provides critical protection against reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells. Downregulation of GPX3 may contribute to carcinogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but the mechanisms are not clear.Materials and methodsWe examined the differences in gene expression between ESCC and normal esophageal epithelial, by using GEO datasets, and collected 136 ESCC tumors and adjacent normal tissues to confirm our findings. GPX3 expression was measured, at the mRNA and protein levels, by qRT-PCR, Western Blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC).ResultsGPX3 mRNA and protein levels were 3.3-fold higher in normal epithelium compared with case-matched ESCC tissues. There was no significant correlation between clinical parameters and expression levels of GPX3 in ESCC. Promoter methylation of the GPX3 gene correlated with decreased expression.ConclusionDownregulation of GPX3 might be a key factor in the process of ESCC carcinogenesis.     

Decreased expression and aberrant methylation of Gadd45G is associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The growth arrest DNA damage-inducible gene (Gadd45) family, which is composed of Gadd45A, Gadd45B, and Gadd45G, is involved in DNA damage response and cell growth arrest. The present study was to detect the role of Gadd45 gene family in esophageal cancer and the relationship of Gadd45G methylation to a series of pathological parameters in a large esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) sample, in order to elucidate more information on the role of Gadd45 gene family with regard to the pathogenesis of ESCC. Frequent silencing of Gadd45G but not Gadd45A and Gadd45B were found in esophageal cancer cell lines and the silencing of Gadd45G may be reversed by 5-Aza-dC or TSA treatment in Eca109 cell line. The aberrant proximal promoter methylation of Gadd45G induces silencing of Gadd45G expression in Eca109 cell line. Gadd45A mRNA and protein expression in ESCC tumor tissues was significantly different compared to corresponding normal tissues. Decreased mRNA and protein expression of Gadd45G was observed in ESCC tumor tissues and was associated with Gadd45G proximal promoter methylation. Gadd45A or Gadd45B expression was not correlated with ESCC patients survival, while Gadd45G methylation status and protein expression were independently associated with ESCC patients’ survival. These data indicated that Gadd45G may be a functional tumor suppressor and its inactivation through proximal promoter methylation may play an important role in ESCC carcinogenesis and reactivation of Gadd45G gene may has therapeutic potential and may be used as a prognostic marker for ESCC patients.     

Hypermethylation-modulated down-regulation of CDH1 expression contributes to the progression of esophageal cancer

CDH1, a cell adhesion molecule, which plays a key role in maintaining the epithelial phenotype, is regarded as an invasion-suppressor gene in light of accumulating evidence from in vitro experiments and clinical observations. In an attempt to clarify the mechanism responsible for inactivation of this gene in carcinomas, we investigated the methylation status of the CDH1 gene 5'-CpG islands and its regulatory mechanism in the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Real-time methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (qMSP) and treatment with the demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR) were conducted to analyze the methylation status at the CDH1 promoter region in the human esophageal carcinoma cell lines, EC1 and EC9706. A total of 235 invasive esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) at stages I-IV and their corresponding normal tissue samples, were included in an immunohistochemistry study and methylation analysis of CDH1. The results demonstrate that in EC1 and EC9706 cells, the CDH1 promoter is methylated and treatment with 5-Aza-CdR restored CDH1 expression. Enhanced CDH1 expression decreased cell migration, invasion ability and increased adhesion ability. Decreased CDH1 expression was detected in 59.6% of ESCC tissues, compared with their adjacent non-neoplastic epithelia, which had a close correlation with the primary tumor status, lymph node status, distant metatasis and clinicopathologic stage. Hypermethylation at the CDH1 promoter was detected in 97.9% of 140 cases of ESCC with low CDH1 expression. The methylation of CDH1 promoters (P=0.929) was closely correlated with the lack of expression of their corresponding proteins. The Cox regression model for survival analysis showed that increases in CDH1 methylation had a greater impact on the prognosis than tumor clinical stage. These findings suggest that CDH1 gene silencing by promoter hypermethylation and the resultant reduction of CDH1 expression may play an important role in the progression of ESCC. CDH1 methylation was a significant predictor of survival in ESCC patients after surgery.     

Overexpression of CD9 correlates with tumor stage and lymph node metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. CD9 has been reported to play a critical role in cell motility, growth and metastasis of multiple cancers. The present study investigated the clinicopathological features of CD9, and its biological characteristics in ESCC. Methods: Fifteen normal esophageal tissue specimens, fifty-three ESCC adjacent tissues and one hundred and four ESCC tissues were included in this study. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), the expression levels of CD9 were evaluated among different samples. And its clinicopathological parameters and its prognostic factors were analyzed. Western blotting was used to measure CD9 expression and colony formation was performed to determine the effect of CD9 on cell growth in ESCC TE-1 cells. Results: Compared with normal esophageal tissues and tumor adjacent tissues, CD9 expression level is significantly higher in ESCC tissues. CD9 expression correlated with tumor stage (P = 0.022) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.019) in ESCC patients. Furthermore, the small interfering RNA-mediated silencing of CD9 expression in TE-1 cells resulted in increased proliferation as evidenced by increased colony number and colony size. Conclusion: CD9 expression is upregulated in ESCC tissues and its expression is correlated with tumor stage and lymph node metastasis in ESCC patients. CD9 suppresses the proliferation of TE-1 cells. CD9 may present a potential in tumor progression in ESCC.     

microRNA-195-Cdc42 axis acts as a prognostic factor of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background and purpose: Previous studies observed the downregulation of microRNA (miR)-195 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues, confirmed cell division cycle 42 (Cdc42) as one target gene of miR-195, and demonstrated that miR-195 may act as a tumor suppressor in ESCC by regulating Cdc42 expression. This study aimed to explore the association of miR-195 and Cdc42 combined expression with clinicopathologic factors and prognosis. Methods: Expression of miR-195 and Cdc42 mRNA in 98 pairs of ESCC and paracancerous tissues were detected using real-time quantitative RT-PCR. Results: miR-195 downregulation and Cdc42 upregulation were both prevalent in ESCC tissues, and negatively correlated with each other. In addition, miR-195 expression negatively correlated with TNM stage (P=0.008) and lymphatic metastasis (P=0.022), while Cdc42 expression positively correlated with TNM stage (P=0.011) and tumor differentiation (P=0.024). Moreover, combined expression of miR-195 and Cdc42 (miR-195/Cdc42) was found to be prognostic indicators for progression-free survival and overall survival of ESCC patients both in univariate and multivariate analyses. Conclusion: The main findings of this study indicate the involvement of miR-195-Cdc42 axis in the progression of ESCC and suggest that the combined aberrant expression of miR-195 and Cdc42 mRNA can serve as a promising unfavorable prognostic biomarker in ESCC.     

Overexpression of PLCE1 in Kazakh esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: implications in cancer metastasis and aggressiveness

Three recent large‐scale genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) in Chinese Han populations have identified an esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) susceptibility locus within phospholipase C epsilon 1 (PLCE1) gene, which encodes a phospholipase involved in intracellular signaling. The expressed PLCE1 in ESCC, however, are inconsistent. This study examined PLCE1 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) from 110 ethnic Kazakh ESCC patients and 50 from adjacent normal esophageal tissues (NETs). The expressed PLCE1 was localized in cytoplasm, especially in the peripheral layers of cancer cell nests, which was significantly higher in tumors than in NETs (p < 0.001). Increased expression of PLCE1 was correlated with advanced tumor‐node‐metastasis (TNM) stages (p = 0.015) and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.003) in patients with ESCC. Of the 110 patients, we examined 50 paired ESCC tissues and corresponding NETs by quantitative RT‐PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and the mean mRNA level of PLCE1 in ESCC was 1.85‐fold higher compared with those in corresponding NETs (p = 0.0012). Meanwhile, 4 of 5 ESCC cell lines also showed elevated expression of PLCE1 mRNA. Furthermore, elevated expression of PLCE1 mRNA in Kazakh ESCC was associated with its immunoreactivity (ρ = 0.297, p = 0.040), lymph node metastasis (p < 0.001), and advanced TNM stages of ESCC (p = 0.013). To our knowledge, this study demonstrates for the first time that PLCE1 overexpression correlates with lymph node metastasis and advanced TNM stages of Kazakh ESCC, implicating a role of PLCE1 in cancer metastasis and aggressiveness in ethnic Kazakh patients with ESCC. Furthermore, the current findings may warrant investigations into whether inhibiting PLCE1 could be a strategy for targeted anticancer therapy particularly for Kazakh ESCC.     

锌指转录因子Snail 1在糖尿病大鼠肾组织中的表达

目的： 观察锌指转录因子Snail 1在糖尿病大鼠肾组织中的表达并探讨其与糖尿病肾病（DN）发生、发展的关系。方法: 链脲佐菌素（STZ）诱发大鼠糖尿病（DM），分为2、4、8、12、16、20、24周以及16周A、20周A和24周A组，其中A组动物从第13周起用胰岛素控制血糖至正常水平，每个时点均设鼠龄匹配的正常对照组。测定各组血糖、24 h尿蛋白、血肌酐（Scr）、肾脏指数。PAS染色光镜观察肾脏病理改变。免疫组化、RT-PCR方法检测肾皮质Snail 1和纤连蛋白（FN）的蛋白及mRNA水平，Western blotting检测Snail 1蛋白表达。结果: DM各组大鼠的血糖、24 h尿蛋白、血肌酐、肾脏指数明显高于正常对照组（P<0.05,P<0.01），A组上述指标均明显低于DM组（P<0.05,P<0.01）。Snail 1免疫组化阳性染色见于各组DM大鼠肾小管，正常对照组未见阳性表达，A组见弱阳性表达，并随治疗时间延长而减少。DM组肾皮质Snail 1、FN蛋白和mRNA的表达水平高于正常对照组（P<0.01），而A组显著低于DM组（P<0.01）。Snail 1与FN mRNA的表达水平呈显著正相关（P<0.01），Snail 1蛋白表达水平与血糖、尿蛋白、血肌酐、肾脏指数亦呈正相关（ P<0.01）。结论: Snail 1基因和蛋白在DM大鼠肾组织过度表达，提示Snail 1可能参与了DN的发生、发展机制。