Immunohistochemical detection of NANOG in oral leukoplakia

Polymorphisms in nanog are associated with oral leukoplakia: case-control study

To investigate the association of NANOG polymorphisms with oral leukoplakia. In this case-control study, 68 cases of oral leukoplakia, and 21 of normal oral mucosa (control) were submitted to genotyping of tagSNPs polymorphisms: rs877716 and rs10845877 in NANOG, through real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Pearson's chi-squared and Fisher's exact statistical tests were used, with a significance of 5%. For the dominant genetic model of the G allele of rs877716, the genotypes AG + GG revealed higher frequency in subjects in the oral leukoplakia group than in control subjects (75,4 and 50% respectively; p = 0,031). Subjects with this genotype were 3,063 times more likely to develop oral leukoplakia compared to subjects with AA. In the allelic genetic model, for rs10845877, the C allele was more frequent in subjects with leukoplakia than in control subjects (25 and 7, 5% respectively; p = 0, 01). There was no association found in the other genetic models. Polymorphisms in NANOG are associated with oral leukoplakia.

Correlation of Soluble CD44 Expression in Saliva and CD44 Protein in Oral Leukoplakia Tissues

The aim of this study was to determine whether and how pan-CD44 protein expression in leukoplakia tissues correlates with positive SolCD44 test presence and their role in oral leukoplakia. SolCD44 and total protein expression in saliva were determined using an OncAlert^® Oral Cancer Rapid test. Comparison of paired associations of total protein, SolCD44, mean number of CD44 expressed epithelial layers in leukoplakia tissue, and macrophages below the basement membrane between control group and patients with leukoplakia showed statistically significant results (p < 0.0001). It is shown that the total protein indicates low or elevated risk of possible malignant transformation processes in leukoplakia. Statistically significant differences between higher total protein level and clinical forms of oral leukoplakia (p < 0.0001), as well as CD44-labeled epithelial cell layer decrease (p < 0.0001), were found. This possibly points to the onset of the stemness loss in leukoplakia tissue. CD9 antigen expression in the exosomes of the oral epithelium explained the intercellular flow of SolCD44 and other fluids in the leukoplakia area. We conclude that the OncAlert^® Oral Cancer Rapid test is a valuable screening method in daily clinical practice, in terms of complementing clinical diagnostics methods and to assess the potential for early malignancy.