Immunohistochemical analysis of syndecan-1 in leukoplakia and oral submucous fibrosis

• Main Authors: Sushant S Kamat (Author), G S Kumar (Author), Ajit V Koshy (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 1735-3327; 2008-0255; 10.4103/1735-3327.115141
• Keywords: Immunohistochemistry; leukoplakia; oral submucous fibrosis; syndecan-1; Dentistry; RK1-715
• Source: Dental Research Journal, Vol 10, Iss 3, Pp 321-327 (2013)

Background: Syndecan-1 is abundant in normal tissues and reduced in squamous cell carcinomas. Leukoplakia and oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) are oral pre-cancerous disorders that have potential for malignant transformation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of syndecan-1 in leukoplakia and OSF and to identify its role as a reliable marker for predicting malignant changes. Materials and Methods: Expression of syndecan-1 was examined immunohistochemically in 42 cases of oral leukoplakia with or without epithelial dysplasia, 28 cases of OSF and 10 cases of normal oral epithelia as control. Mann-Whiteny 'U' test was used for statistical analysis and the level of significance was fixed at P < 0.05. Results: Intense syndecan-1 expression was observed in nine cases with normal epithelium. Immunopositivity was lost gradually as the extent of epithelial dysplasia increased. The significant reduction in syndecan-1 expression was observed in leukoplakia as epithelial dysplasia progressed from moderate or severe. Similarly, significant reduction was observed in staining intensities in OSF with dysplasia. Conclusion: The results reveal that down-regulation of syndecan-1 expression is associated with dysplastic changes in leukoplakia and OSF. Thus syndecan-1 can be considered as marker for predicting malignant changes.