title: Statherin levels in saliva of patients with precancerous and cancerous lesions of the oral cavity: a preliminary report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to measure concentration of human salivary statherin in patients with oral cavity pathologies and salivary gland diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Levels of statherin were analysed with High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) in following groups of subjects: group A: 24 patients with neoplastic diseases of salivary glands, group B: 13 patients with inflammatory lesions of salivary glands, group C: 13 patients with precancerous and cancerous lesions of the oral cavity excluding salivary gland tumors, group D: 20 healthy volunteers (control group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our preliminary data indicated a sensible reduction of the statherin level in the saliva of patients with precancerous and cancerous lesions of the oral cavity (group C) compared with the healthy subjects (group D). The statherin levels are not significantly reduced either in the inflammatory (group B) or in the salivary glands tumours (group A), compared with the healthy subjects (group D).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Statherin could play a protective effect in oral cavity in association with its other functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Catholic University, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Contucci
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Inzitari
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agostino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vitali
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fiorita
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cabras
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scarano
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Messana
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D015494:Salivary Gland Calculi / Q000378:metabolism; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry*; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012793:Sialadenitis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C018149:STATH protein, human; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides