Expression of cyclooxygenase 2 and its relationships with cell proliferation and apoptosis in human astrocytoma

Objective:To study the expression of cyclooxynenase 2（COX-2） in human astrocytoma and the relationships of COX-2 expression level with the malignant degree,cell proliferative activity and apoptosis of the tumors.Methods:The expression of COX-2 and that of PCNA,Mcl-1 in the astrocytoma were studied with S-P immunohistochemical staining.Results:The positive expression of COX-2 in human gliomas of 68 cases was 61.8%,which was related with the histological grade of tumor.The expression of COX-2 was positively correlated with PCNA and Mcl-1（P＜0.01）.Conclusion:The overexpression of COX-2 in human astrocytoma may play a crucial role in pathologic grade,cell proliferation and apoptosis in human astrocytoma.