Evaluation of Aberrant Metabolism Related Proteins in Oral Submucous Fibrosis: A Pilot Study

Publication date: Available online 8 September 2018

Source: Journal of Oral Biosciences

Author(s): Vertika Rai, Surajit Bose, Rashmi Mukherjee, Arpita Sarbajna, Chandan Chakraborty

Abstract

Objectives

The mortality rate within five years of diagnosis is very high (> 60%) for patients with oral cancer (OC), primarily due to late stage detection. Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a heterogeneous oral lesion that has a high probability of developing into OC. One of the hallmark characteristics of malignant cells is alteration of metabolic pathways as the disease progresses towards carcinogenesis. This study aims to examine the altered metabolism-related proteins using immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Methods

The expression levels of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), hexokinase 2 (HK2), and fatty acid synthase (FASN) were analyzed in normal oral mucosa (NOM) (n = 30) and oral sub mucous fibrosis (OSF) (n = 30) using IHC. The degree of intensity and distribution of immunostaining was semi-quantitatively assessed.

Results

The expression levels of GLUT-1, HK 2, and FASN were higher in the OSF group (p < 0.001) than in NOM control group.

Conclusions

These results indicate evidence of increased levels and alteration in the expression of metabolism-related proteins. Overexpression of these proteins may play an oncogenic role in the proliferative processes and disease progression of OSF. These results serve as a fundamental base for employing these proteins in future clinical applications.

Graphical abstract

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