Expression of the endothelial receptor tyrosine kinase Tie2 in lobular capillary hemangioma of the oral mucosa: an immunohistochemical study.

Background: Lobular capillary hemangioma (LCH) usually occurs in the skin or mucous membranes as a rapidly growing red nodule. LCH is one of the most common vascular lesions in the oral mucosa. Tie2 is a novel, human endothelial receptor tyrosine kinase which may play an important role in blood vessel formation. In this study, we investigated its immunohistochemical expression in LCH of the oral mucosa.
Methods: Double immunostaining with anti-CD34 and antialpha smooth muscle actin (SMA) antibodies was performed to characterize the cellular expression of Tie2 in 15 cases of this condition.
Results: We found Tie2 immunoreactivity in the ovoid cells only, which were frequently intermingled with alphaSMA-positive cells, especially in the hypercellular portion of LCH.
Conclusions: These results suggest that the expression of Tie2 in ovoid cells and the interaction between ovoid cells and alphaSMA-positive cells play an important part in the development and progression of LCH.