| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
|
| Year : 2014 | Volume
: 5
| Issue : 4 | Page : 243-247 |
|
|
Immunohistochemical evaluation of myofibroblasts using alpha-smooth muscle actin in oral submucous fibrosis
Teena Philip, T Dinesh Kumar, K Rajkumar, K Raghavendhar Karthik, N Priyadharsini, A Ramesh Kumar
Department of Oral Pathology, SRM Dental College, Ramapuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Correspondence Address:
T Dinesh Kumar
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, SRM Dental College, Bharathi Salai, Ramapuram, Chennai - 600 089
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0976-433X.145126
|
|
|
Introduction: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a chronic debilitating disease and a premalignant condition of the oral cavity characterized by generalized submucosal fibrosis with a multifactorial etiology. Myofibroblasts are a unique group of cells phenotypically intermediate between smooth muscle cells and fibroblast exhibiting contractile properties, expressing α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and are considered primary producers of extracellular matrix after injury. Their accumulation has been established as a marker of progressive fibrosis in various organs. The aim of the present study is to evaluate and compare the myofibroblasts in various histological grades of OSMF. Materials and Method: Fifteen cases of OSMF, which were further categorized histologically into early (5 cases), moderately advanced (5 cases) and advanced (5 cases), were subjected to immunohistochemical evaluation using α-SMA antibody for detection of myofibroblasts. Fifteen benign mucosal proliferation specimens were also stained for comparison. Results: The number of myofibroblasts in OSMF was significantly increased when compared to that of benign mucosal proliferations (P < 0.05). Additionally, a statistically significant increase in the myofibroblasts population between early and advanced stages was observed (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The results of the present study showed that expression of myofibroblasts within the OSMF group showed a progressive increase from the early OSMF through moderate OSMF and the advanced OSMF group indicating that myofibroblasts could serve as effective prognostic marker for disease progression in oral submucous fibrosis. |
|
|
|
| [FULL TEXT] [PDF]* |
|
 |
|
Search Pubmed for