Author Affiliations: Institute of Acute Abdominal Diseases (Zhang SK, Li DH and Wu XZ) and Department of Surgery (Cui NQ, Cui YF and Chen C), Nankai Hospital, Tianjin 300100, China Corresponding Author: Nai-Qiang Cui, PhD, Tianjin Nankai Hospital, Tianjin 300100, China (Tel: 86-22-27022268 ext 2241; Fax: 86-22-27022007; Email: yunfengcuidoctor@yahoo.com.cn)
BACKGROUND: Hypersecretion of biliary cholesterol is believed to be one of the important causes of lithogenic bile. Sterol carrier protein-2(SCP2) participates in cholesterol trafficking and metabolism and may play a key role in cholesterol gallstone formation. This study was undertaken to investigate the expression of liver SCP2 mRNA in patients with cholesterol gallstone and those patients with non-cholesterol gallstone.
METHODS: The expression of liver SCP2mRNA was studied in 36 patients with cholesterol gallstone and 30 patients with non-cholesterol gallstone by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
RESULT: The expression of SCP2 mRNA was increased more significantly in patients with cholesterol gallstone than in patients with non-cholesterol gallstone.
CONCLUSION: The SCP2 gene was overexpressed in patients with cholesterol gallstone, indicating that SCP2 may be one of the important causes of cholesterol gallstone.
2005, Vol. 4 
