title: COX-2, MMP-7 expression in oral lichen planus and oral squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression in normal oral mucosa (NOM), oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and explore its significance in the incidence of oral cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The immunohistochemical method and RT-PCR method were applied to detect the expression of COX-2 and MMP-7 in 10 cases with NOM, 33 cases of with OLP and 38 cases with OSCC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression of COX-2 mRNA in OSCC tissues (68.4%, 26/38) was significantly higher than in the OLP (24.2%, 8/33) and NOM (0.0%, 0/10) (P<0.01). The expression of MMP-7 mRNA in OSCC tissues (65.8%, 25/38) was significantly higher than in the OLP (30.3%, 10/33) and NOM (0.0%, 0/10) (P<0.01). The expression of MMP-7 in OLP was significantly higher than in the NOM (P<0.05). There was no significant expression of COX-2 protein in NOM, and the positive rate was 42.4% (14/33) and 89.5% (34/38) in OLP and OSCC group, respectively. The COX-2 expression in cancer tissues was significantly higher than in NOM and OLP (P<0.05). The MMP-7 protein expression in cancer tissues (84.2%, 32/38) was significantly higher than in NOM (10.0%, 1/10) and in OLP (42.4%, 14/33), and the positive rate in OLP was significantly higher than in NOM (P< 0.01). The COX-2 expression was associated with clinical stage (P<0.05), the MMP-7 expression was associated with clinical stage and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). The expressions of COX-2 and MMP-7 mRNA were positively correlated with OSCC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The abnormal expressions of COX-2 and MMP-7 are closely related to the biological behavior of OSCC, the MMP-7 may be induced by COX-2, and further lead to the invasion and metastasis of OSCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Specific Diagnosis, Jinan Stomatology Hospital, Jinan, Shandong Province, China. ltjcbwhhyll@163.com
authors.forename: Tie-Jun
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cui
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017676:Lichen Planus, Oral / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D020783:Matrix Metalloproteinase 7 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; C060932:MMP7 protein, human; D020783:Matrix Metalloproteinase 7