Samadi FM, Suhail S, Sonam M, Ahmad MK, Kumar V, Chandra S, Mohammad S. Comparing Length and Telomere Expression at Oral Precancerous and Cancerous Stages.
IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2024;
19:146-151. [PMID:
39118803 PMCID:
PMC11304464 DOI:
10.30699/ijp.2024.1996330.3081]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Background & Objective
Telomeres consist of repetitive G-rich nucleotides located at the end of each chromosome, acting as protein binding sites. The aim of this study was to examine the differences in telomere length in blood, saliva, and tissue samples at various stages of oral precancerous and cancerous lesions.
Methods
Samples of blood, tissue, and saliva were collected from patients with oral precancerous and cancerous lesions. DNA extraction was performed. Then, a TRAP assay was conducted to assess and compare the telomere length and telomerase expression.
Results
The levels of telomerase activity (TA) in the DNA samples ranged from 0.19 to 6.91 (2.05+1.37) among oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients and from 0.17 to 4.5 (0.28+4.25) among precancerous patients. A significant difference was observed in TA levels between OSCC and precancerous samples (t=3.9691, P= 0.0000).
Conclusion
Assessing the telomerase activity is crucial for studying the behavior of carcinoma in the clinical setting. The augmented telomerase expression and the length of telomere contribute to OSCC progression. Hence, this study adds a diagnostic tool that can serve as a biomarker for the early detection and prognosis of OSCC.
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