Alpha-L-fucosidase levels in patients with oral submucous fibrosis and controls: A comparative study.
J Oral Maxillofac Pathol 2022;
26:594. [PMID:
37082061 PMCID:
PMC10112109 DOI:
10.4103/jomfp.jomfp_225_21]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background
Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) in recent times has been recognized as a potentially malignant disorder (PMD) with an increased risk of developing oral squamous cell carcinoma with malignant transformation rates that vary from 0.6% to 36%. Alpha-L-fucosidase (AFU) is a lysosomal enzyme that is involved in maintaining the homeostasis of fucose metabolism. In benign and malignant tumors, the cells modulate their surface by increasing fucosylation leading to uncontrolled growth.
Aims and objectives
This study was designed to estimate the levels of salivary and serum AFU in patients with OSMF and healthy controls and also to evaluate the clinical utility of salivary AFU levels over serum.
Materials and Methods
Saliva and blood samples were collected from twenty participants in both the groups (OSMF and healthy controls). Serum and salivary alpha-L-fucosidase levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The data were subjected to appropriate statistical analysis.
Results
We found a significant increase in alpha-L-fucosidase level in OSMF compared with healthy subjects. Pearson's correlation showed salivary alpha-L-fucosidase level to have superior sensitivity in detecting OSMF compared with serum alpha-L-fucosidase.
Conclusion
The outcome of this study suggests that salivary alpha-L-fucosidase can be utilized as a biomarker in early detection of oral precancer and cancer.
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