Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the immunohistochemical expression of p63 protein, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Notch-1 in the epithelial lining of radicular cysts (RC), dentigerous cysts (DC) and keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KOT). For this study, 35 RC, 22 DC and 17 KOT were used. The clinical and epidemiological data were collected from the patient charts filed in the Oral Pathology Laboratory, University of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. Immunohistochemical reactions against the p63, EGFR and Notch-1 were performed in 3-µm-thick histological sections. The slides were evaluated according to the following criteria: negative: <5% of positive cells, low expression: 5-50% of positive cells, and high expression: >50% of positive cells. Moreover, the intensity of EGFR and Notch-1 expressions was also evaluated. Fisher's exact test and Spearman's correlation coefficients were used for statistical analysis, considering a significance level of 5%. Almost all cases demonstrated p63, EGFR and Notch-1 expressions. The p63 expression was significantly higher in KOT (p<0.001). Positive correlation between these immunomarkers was observed. These findings suggest the participation of p63, EGFR and Notch-1 in the development, maintenance and integrity of cystic odontogenic epithelial lining, favoring lesion persistence. The high expression of p63 in KOT suggests that it may be related to their more aggressive biological behavior and marked tendency to recurrence.
Highlights
The p63 protein plays an essential role in epithelial development and the proliferation of limb and craniofacial-structures
Because the p63, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Notch receptors are involved in the development and differentiation of odontogenic epithelium, the aim of this study was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of p63, EGFR, and Notch-1 receptor in radicular cysts (RC), dentigerous cysts (DC) and keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KOT)
The immunohistochemical analysis revealed that 32 cases (91.43%) of RC presented high positivity for p63 protein in all layers of the epithelial lining
Summary
The p63 protein plays an essential role in epithelial development and the proliferation of limb and craniofacial-structures. Studies with murine model have revealed that p63 knockout-mice display profound defects in differentiation of tissues with stratified epithelium, including skin, oral cavity and esophagus. These animals did not develop teeth, hair follicles and salivary, lachrymal and mammary glands [1]. As the odontogenic cystic lesions are essentially of epithelial origin, the p63 protein may be important in the growth and progression of these lesions. Only one study evaluated the p63 expression in odontogenic cystic lesions, which detected positivity more intense and diffuse in the epithelial lining of keratocystic odontogenic tumor when compared with radicular and dentigerous cysts [2]
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