Expression of protein kinase C alpha in biopsies and surgical specimens of human hepatocellular carcinoma

Variations in the activity of protein kinase C (PKC) have been observed in different types of tumors. Although these inconsistent findings may be attributed to the alterations of individual PKC isoforms, the effects of general anesthetic may not be neglected. In this study, biopsies and surgical specimens were obtained from patients with HCC, and the levels of PKC alpha were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. PKC alpha expression in biopsies was mainly revealed on the cell membrane of hepatocytes whereas that in the surgical specimens was in the cytosol and on the membrane. In both types of specimens, the PKC alpha level in HCC was significantly higher than that in the adjacent nontumorous tissue. Moreover, the level of PKC alpha in biopsies was significantly higher than that in surgical specimens of the corresponding tissue type. These findings suggested that general anesthetics may significantly affect the expression of PKC alpha, and the effects of anesthetics should not be neglected in observations which were made only based on surgical specimens.