OBJECTIVE To investigate the expression of oncogene messenger RNA (mRNA) and molecules on Toll-like receptor (TLRs) pathway in cervical precancerous tissues and their association with human papilloma virus (HPV) infection.

METHODS A total of 157 patients with cervical precancerous lesions admitted to Tianjin First Central Hospital from Jul. 2020 to Jul. 2023 were selected as the study group and further divided into the positive (109 cases) and negative group (48 cases) based on HPV infection or not; the study group was also divided into groups with chronic-inflammation (102 cases), low-grade lesions (30 cases) and high-grade lesions (25 cases) based on the conditions of squamous intraepithelial lesions. In addition, 159 normal cervical patients who underwent surgical resection for hysteromyoma during the same period were selected as the control group. The HPV infection status among different groups with precancerous lesions was compared. The levels of B-cell-specific Moloni leukemia virus insertion site 1 (Bmi-1), peroxidase reductase 4 (Prdx4) mRNA and toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in cervical tissues of the study (positive and negative) and control group were compared, and their correlations with the status of HPV infection were analyzed by Spearman's measure.

RESULTS HPV-positive rate in the group with high-grade lesion was higher than that in the groups with low-grade lesion and chronic inflammation (P < 0.05), and that in the low-grade lesion group was higher than that in the chronic inflammation group (P < 0.05). The levels of Bmi-1, Prdx4 mRNA, TLR2 and TLR4 in cervical tissues of the study group(165.57±35.62, 158.88±32.67, 4.52±1.10, 7.14±1.53)were significantly higher than those of the control group(P < 0.05), and their levels in cervical tissues of the positive group were significantly higher than those of negative group (P < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that the expression of Bmi-1, Prdx4, TLR2 and TLR4 was positively correlated with HPV infection (r=0.538, 0.631, 0.582, and 0.497, respectively, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS HPV infection is related to degrees of precancerous squamous intraepithelial lesions. Bmi-1, Prdx4 mRNA, TLR2 and TLR4 are highly expressed in cervical tissues after HPV infection and their expression in precancerous tissues are closely related to HPV infection.