Imunolocalização da enzima de reparo de DNA HMSH2 no liquen plano bucal

Abstract

Lichen planus is a mucocutaneous disease of inflammatory nature and unknown etiology. It is carachterized by a cell-mediated immunological response to induced antigenic change in skin and/or mucosa. The matter of malignant transformation of lichen planus remains controverse and has been widely discussed and evaluated in the literature. Taking into consideration the importance of protein hMSH2 to DNA mismatch repair and its possible alteration into oral squamous cell carcinoma in addition to evidence that show association between lichen planus and oral cancer, this paper aims at comparing the immunolacalization of hMSH2 in the epithelium of oral lichen planus to that of normal mucosa. Twenty six cases of histologically diagnosed lichen planus were analized.Clinically, 12 of them were categorized into reticular subtype and 14 were atrophic/erosive. Ten samples of normal mucosa were added to the control group. The results showed that, in all samples of lichen planus tissue, there was a reduction of immunolocalization of hMSH2related to the epitelio of oral mucosa. Further study will be necessary in order to stablish the importance of this result to the pathogenesis of the cases of oral lichen planus malignant transformation.