title: Increased VEGFR2 and MMP9 protein levels are associated with epithelial dysplasia grading.
abstract: The present study aimed to compare levels of VEGFR2 and MMP-9 among control, epithelial dysplasia (ED) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) groups. We analyzed 48 patients with oral leukoplakia (OL), 20 patients with OSCC and 21 patients without OL and OSCC. Immunohistochemistry of VEGFR2 and MMP9 were performed and compared among groups. Analysis of tissue immunolocalization of VEGFR2 and MMP-9 assumed non-parametrical distribution and comparison between groups was performed using the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests. VEGFR2 and MMP9 immunoexpression appeared to correlate with the degree of dysplasia and was observed to increase in lesions with more severe dysplasia as compared to those with lower degrees of dysplasia. Immunoreactivity of MMP-9 was lower in the OL samples compared to the OSCC samples (p = 0.004). We observed no difference in VEGFR2 protein levels between OL and OSCC samples. A positive correlation was found between VEGFR2 and MMP-9 in OL samples (r = +0.452, p = 0.001), however, no correlation was found in OSCC samples (r = -0.042, p = 0.861). In conclusion, the results of the current study suggest that expression of MMP9 and VEGFR2 is associated with ED grading and MMP9 levels are increased in OSCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Alberto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Carvalho Fraga
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucyana Conceição
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Farias
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Vinícius Macedo
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Brazil.
authors.forename: Patrícia Luciana Batista
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Domingos
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Brazil.
authors.forename: Camila Santos
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thiago Fonseca
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5K8, Canada.
authors.forename: Ashbeel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical, Surgery and Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Santiago
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alfredo Maurício Batista
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: de Paula
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Brazil. Electronic address: andreluizguimaraes@gmail.com.
authors.forename: André Luiz Sena
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Guimarães
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007971:Leukoplakia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C000588866:KDR protein, human; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9
keywords: Angiogenesis; Leukoplakia; Oral cancer; Oral potentially malignant disorders; Transformation