title: Upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 in oral epithelial dysplasias.
abstract: The expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), stress-related enzyme, is induced in leukaemia and some cancer tissues, but relatively little is known about the differential pattern of HO-1 expression and proliferation in premalignant lesions of the epithelial oral mucosa. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether HO-1 expression and proliferation were increased in preneoplastic lesions compared to normal and oral cancer tissues. Immunohistochemical staining was used to examine the expression patterns of HO-1 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in a series of normal mucosa and mild-to-severe cases of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) and oral squamous cell carcinoma. Both HO-1 and PCNA are expressed in the basal cells of normal oral mucosa. In patients with OED and carcinoma in situ, immunostaining for PCNA and HO-1 was more intense, and gradually extended into the superficial layers of the mucosa. HO-1 and PCNA expression was correlated with the degree of epithelial dysplasia. Oral squamous cell carcinoma also showed elevated expression of HO-1, but this level was not higher than in severe OED or carcinoma in situ. These results suggest that the up-regulation of HO-1 in premalignant oral lesions is part of an early cytoprotection mechanism against carcinogenesis in the oral mucosa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Dentistry, Wonkwang University, Iksan, South Korea.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: S-K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: B-U
authors.initials: BU
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: H-J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: N-P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: J-H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: H-R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: S-K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: E-C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000201:enzymology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000201:enzymology; D019610:Cytoprotection / Q000502:physiology; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1 / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000201:enzymology*; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000201:enzymology*; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1