Wnt and cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2) are two pathways whose activation has been associated with BE and progression to EAC, but their role has not been tested experimentally.
FASN is strongly expressed in the intestinal mucin phenotype of Barrett's esophagus, in which Barrett's glandular cells display elevated cellular proliferation, angiogenesis, and COX-2 expression.
We evaluated the expression of COX-2 in rat model of BE and examined the usefulness of COX-2 expression in determining the risk of malignant transformation in patients with BE treated with argon plasma coagulation (APC) that allows for effective ablation of metaplastic mucosa (group A) without or with proton pump inhibitors (PPI).
Increasing COX-2 expression in Barrett's metaplasia is significantly associated with a change in the local inflammatory reaction, but not during further progression through dysplasia to cancer.
The presence of esophagitis or Barrett's esophagus did not significantly alter the expression of Cox-2 compared to patients with nonerosive reflux disease (NERD).
COX-2 and prostaglandin E(2) expression were evaluated by Western blotting and enzyme-linked immune assay in samples of squamous esophagus, Barrett's esophagus with varying degrees of dysplasia to adenocarcinoma, and normal duodenum.
The occurrence of substantial alterations in Cox-1 and Cox-2 expression at the BE stage indicates that these are early events in the development of EAC.
We hypothesized that acid-induced activation of the MAPK pathways mediates an increase in COX-2 expression in Barrett's esophagus, and we tested this hypothesis in a Barrett's-associated adenocarcinoma cell line (SEG-1).
Increased COX-2 expression did not differ during the progression from Barrett's oesophagusnegative for dysplasia to Barrett's adenocarcinoma and is related to adenocarcinoma whose histology is well differentiated.
The COX-2 enzyme has been reported to be over-expressed in premalignant and malignant states, including in Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma.
Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 appears to play an important role in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis, and COX-2 overexpression has been demonstrated both in esophageal adenocarcinomas and in the metaplastic epithelium of Barrett's esophagus.