BACKGROUND: Receptors for tumor necrosis factor related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) include death receptor 4, death receptor 5, decoy receptor 1, and decoy receptor 2. Activation of death receptor 4 and 5 selectively kills tumor cells.OBJECTIVE: To detect TRAIL receptor expression in glioblastoma by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR and to compare this expression to that in normal brain tissue.DESIGN: Observational analysis.SETTING: Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University; Henan Tumor Pathology Key Laboratory.PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-five patients (17 males and 8 females) who received glioblastoma resection were selected from the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, between September 2003 to June 2004. All glioblastoma samples were diagnosed pathologically. Twenty patients (12 males and 8 females) with craniocerebral injury who received normal brain tissue resection were selected in the same time period. There were no significant differences in sex and age between glioblastoma patients or between craniocerebral injury patients (P>0.05). All patients and appropriate relatives provided informed consent, and this study was approved by the local research ethics committee.METHODS: Polyclonal antibody against TRAIL receptors and an immunohistochemical kit (batch number: 200502) were purchased from Boster Company, Wuhan. Immunohistochemistry: Expression of death receptor 4, death receptor 5, decoy receptor 1, and decoy receptor 2 were observed in both glioblastoma and normal brain tissue. The experiment was performed according to the kit instructions, and positive staining was brown-yellow. Assessment: There were no positive signals (-); weakly positive signals, positive cells75% (++++). Evaluation: Expression levels of TRAIL receptors were estimated in both normal brain tissue and glioblastoma. Expression of decoy receptor 1 and decoy receptor 2 mRNA in glioblastoma were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and expression of decoy receptor in glioblastoma was estimated.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of death receptor and decoy receptor protein expression between glioblastoma and normal brain tissue; decoy receptor mRNA expression in glioblastoma.RESULTS: Death receptor protein expression was strongly positive (+++) in glioblastoma, while it was weakly positive (+,++) in normal brain tissue. Therefore, expression rate of death receptor protein in the glioblastoma was significantly higher than that in the normal brain tissue (x2=18.48,23.03, P