Introduction: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant disorder of the oral cavity. The malignant transformation rate of OSMF is 7.6%, with a mean transformation rate of 4.7 years. It is characterized by epithelial atrophy and progressive accumulation of collagen fibers in lamina propria and submucosa of the oral mucosa. Increased collagen synthesis and decreased collagen breakdown play a major role in OSMF pathogenesis. In such fibrotic disorders, mediators such as growth factors, hormones, cytokines, and lymphokines primarily affect the production of extracellular matrix and collagen. PDGF-BB plays a major role in stimulating the replication, survival, and migration of myofibroblasts during the pathogenesis of fibrotic diseases. Aim: The main objective of this study is to assess the correlation between clinicopathological parameters and serum expression of PDGF-BB in OSMF and healthy controls. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study, including fifteen patients with OSMF and fifteen healthy controls, was conducted. All cases had complete clinical and histopathological investigations. The PDGF-BB serum was assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results and discussion: The mean serum PDGF-BB expression values for stages I, II, and III are 1238.3±165.3 pg/ml, 1437.7±134.6 pg/ml, and 1739.2±143.3 pg/ml, respectively. There was a correlation between the mean difference between the OSMF and control, and the clinical staging subgroups. (p-value<0.05) The mean serum expression of PDGF-BB in subgroups of histopathological grade I, II, and III was 1654.42±187.3 pg/ml, 1873.7±276.3 pg/ml,1739.2±143.3 pg/ml, with an insignificant p-value>0.05. Conclusions: The mean serum PDGF-BB level was significantly elevated in OSMF patients. There was a positive correlation between the clinical stages, compared to the control groups. Therefore, evaluation of PDGF-BB can be used as an adjunctive serological biomarker in monitoring and predicting OSMF progression as, by inhibiting it, this protein PDGF BB could provide a unique therapeutic approach to combat fibrosis, and may also aid in an effective treatment of this precancerous condition.
Keywords:- clinical staging
- histopathological grading
- OSMF
- PDGF-BB
- serum expression