Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Mar;22(1):33-40.
doi: 10.30476/DENTJODS.2020.84393.1079.

Evaluation of CD44 and TGF-B Expression in Oral Carcinogenesis

Narges Ghazi  1 , Nasrollah Saghravanian  1 , Mohammad Taghi Shakeri  2 , Mounes Jamali  3
Affiliations

Evaluation of CD44 and TGF-B Expression in Oral Carcinogenesis

Narges Ghazi et al. J Dent (Shiraz). 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Statement of the problem: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy of the oral cavity. Early diagnosis of OSCC by using biomarkers provides preventive treatment approach to suppress the disease in early stages. CD44 as a cancer stem cell (CSC) marker may be cleaved by MT1-MMP and plays an important role in migration of cancer cells. TGF-B promotes formation of invasive cancer cells phenotype through epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and induces MT1-MMP formation.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of TGF-B and CD44 in leukoplakia (premalignant lesion), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and normal oral mucosa to determine the role of these markers in the carcinogenesis process of the oral mucosa.

Materials and method: In this retrospective study, the expression of TGF-B and CD44 were evaluated in 55 paraffin-embedded specimens (10normal mucosa, 15 non-dysplastic leukoplakia, 15 dysplastic leukoplakia, and 15 OSCC) by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analyses were performed using Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, and Spearman's rank correlation tests.

Results: Evaluation of CD44 and TGF-B expression in the four studied groups showed statistical significant difference for each marker (p< 0.001). Pairwise comparison of CD44 and TGF-B expression in all groups except normal mucosa and non-dysplastic leukoplakia demonstrated statistical significant difference. In addition, there was positive significant correlation between two markers (r= 0.914, p< 0.001). Diagnostic test's accuracy for identification of OSCC and dysplastic leukoplakia from non-dysplastic leukoplakia and normal tissues and recognition of OSCC from dysplastic leukoplakia showed optimum sensitivity and specificity.

Conclusion: Increased expression of CD44 as a cancer stem cell marker and TGF-B as an EMT marker from normal mucosa to non-dysplastic leukoplakia, dysplastic leukoplakia, and OSCC and also the significant correlation between these two markers indicated their role in carcinogenesis of oral mucosa.

Keywords: CD44; Dysplasia; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; TGF-B.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Membranous immunoreactivity for CD44 in a: normal oral mucosa (1+), x100, b: non-dysplastic leukoplakia(1+), x100, c: dysplastic leukoplakia(2+), x100, d: OSCC(3+),x400
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cytoplasmic immunoreactivity for TGF-B in (A): normal oral mucosa (1+), x100, (B): non-dysplastic leukoplakia (1+) x100, (C): dysplastic leukoplakia (2+), x400, (D): OSCC (3+), x400
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Neville B, Damm DD, Allen C, Chi A. Oral and maxillofacial pathology. 4th ed. WB Saunders, Elsevier: Missouri; 2016. p.928.
    1. Oliveira LR, Castilho-Fernandes A, Oliveira-Costa JP, Soares FA, Zucoloto S, Ribeiro-Silva A. CD44+/CD133+ immunophenotype and matrix metalloproteinase-9: Influence on prognosis in early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma. Head Neck. 2014; 36: 1718–1726. - PubMed
    1. Saghravanian N, Anvari K, Ghazi N, Memar B, Shahsavari M, Aghaee MA. Expression of p63 and CD44 in oral squamous cell carcinoma and correlation with clinicopathological parameters. Arch Oral Biol. 2017; 82: 160–165. - PubMed
    1. Godge PY, Poonja LS. Quantitative assessment of expression of cell adhesion molecule (CD44) splice variants: CD44 standard (CD44s) and v5, v6 isoforms in oral leukoplakias: an immunohistochemical study. Indian J Dent Res. 2011; 22: 493–494. - PubMed
    1. Salehinejad J, Sharifi N, Amirchaghmaghi M, Ghazi N, Shakeri MT, Ghazi A. Immunohistochemical expression of p16 protein in oral squamous cell carcinoma and lichen planus. Annals of Diagnostic Pathology. 2014; 18: 210–213. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources