Study of Salivary and Epithelial Cell Glycoproteins and Sialic Acid as Biomarkers in Oral Submucous Fibrosis and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Background: In the development of carcinoma, a healthy cell adapts, alters and strives to endure before transforming into malignancy by modulating the cell surface molecules. This study was conducted to estimate and correlate total carbohydrates (TC), total proteins (TP) and total sialic acid (TSA) levels in saliva and exfoliative cells of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Keywords: Exfoliative Cells; Glycoproteins; Oral Submucous Fibrosis; Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma; Sialic Acid Methodology: The TC, TP and TSA levels were biochemically estimated and statistically analyzed in saliva and exfoliated cells of 15 patients each of OSF and OSCC. In each patient two sites were evaluated, the lesional tissue (test) as well as an apparently normal tissue (control), thus having similar genetic and epi-genetic environment. Result: Evaluation of saliva showed an increase in the mean values of glycoprotein levels from OSF to OSCC with significant difference in TC (p = 0.033) and TSA (p = 0.000). Evaluation of exfoliated cells showed an increase in the mean values of glycoproteins in lesional cells of OSCC as compared to OSF, with statistical significance in TSA (p = 0.002) levels. The mean values of TP (p = 0.000) and TSA (p = 0.019) were found to be significantly different between the non-lesional sites of OSF and OSCC. Conclusion: The present study confirms that aberrant glycosylation precedes and occurs ubiquitously in cells participating in the disease process. The findings suggest that glycoproteins and sialic acid may be sensitive biomarkers useful in predicting malignant transformation, either de novo or from a pre-existing OSF