Salivary Osteopontin as a Potential Biomarker for Oral Mucositis.

Enikő Gebri,Ferenc Tóth,Tibor Hortobágyi,Attila Kiss

doi:10.3390/metabo11040208

Enikő Gebri, Ferenc Tóth + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo11040208

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Abstract

Osteopontin (OPN), a multifunctional phosphoglycoprotein also presents in saliva, plays a crucial role in tumour progression, inflammation and mucosal protection. Mucosal barrier injury due to high-dose conditioning regimen administered during autologous and allogeneic peripheral stem cell transplantation (APSCT) has neither efficient therapy nor established biomarkers. Our aim was to assess the biomarker role of OPN during APSCT, with primary focus on oral mucositis (OM). Serum and salivary OPN levels were determined by ELISA in 10 patients during APSCT at four stages of transplantation (day −3/−7, 0, +7, +14), and in 23 respective healthy controls. Results: There was a negative correlation between both salivary and serum OPN levels and grade of OM severity during APSCT (r = −0.791, p = 0.019; r = −0.973, p = 0.001). Salivary OPN increased at days +7 (p = 0.011) and +14 (p = 0.034) compared to controls. Among patients, it was higher at day +14 compared to the time of admission (day −3/−7) (p = 0.039) and transplantation (day 0) (p = 0.011). Serum OPN remained elevated at all four stages of transplantation compared to controls (p = 0.013, p = 0.02, p = 0.011, p = 0.028). During APSCT elevated salivary OPN is a potential non-invasive biomarker of oral mucositis whereas the importance of high serum OPN warrants further studies.

Highlights

Saliva is one of the most important pillars of oral immunity and a special mirror of the body’s defence mechanisms [1,2,3,4]
There was no significant difference in serum OPN levels regarding either age or preand postmenopausal hormonal status in the control group
Considerable overexpression could be observed during autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation (APSCT) at all four stages of transplantation compared to the control group (p = 0.013, p = 0.02, p = 0.011, p = 0.028)

Summary

Introduction

Saliva is one of the most important pillars of oral immunity and a special mirror of the body’s defence mechanisms [1,2,3,4]. As a rich reservoir of proteins, especially glycoproteins, electrolytes, lipids and other molecules with several biological functions, saliva plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of oral homeostasis and mucosal integrity [5]. Osteopontin (OPN) has been identified in saliva as a protein involved in mucosal barrier integrity and antimicrobial defence with relevance to oral cavity pathologies including neoplasia [8]. OPN is a multifunctional, chemokine-like, sialic-acid rich phosphoglycoprotein, classified as a member of the Small Integrin-Binding Ligand N-linked Glycoprotein (SIBLING)

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