Abstract

MELO, Allan Ulisses Carvalho de et al. Immunohistochemical Study of Wnt-5a Expression in Oral Epithelial Dysplasias. Rev. cir. traumatol. buco-maxilo-fac. [online]. 2014, vol.14, n.2, pp. 55-62. ISSN 1808-5210.

Introduction: Changes in the expression of Wnt proteins in oral squamous cell carcinoma allowed the construction of hypothesis about the role of Wnt-5a in potential malignant disorders. Objective: To evaluate the immunohistochemistry expression of the protein wnt-5a in oral epithelial dysplasia. Method: It was analyzed 18 cases of oral epithelial dysplasia from the Department of Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry (UFBA). The expression of Wnt-5a protein was evaluated as membranous, cytoplasmatic and/or nuclear. The labeling index established the intensity of expression (absent, low, moderate and strong). Results: There was no gender prevalence, being the majority of patients aged between 20 and 49 years (50%). There were no cases of severe dysplasia and mostly was mild dysplasia (72.2%). The cytoplasmic / nuclear expression of Wnt-5a was the most frequent, with the strong intensity being the most prevalent. Conclusion: The increased immuno-expression of the protein Wnt-5a observed in oral epithelial dysplasias, differ significantly from the normal pattern of healthy oral mucosa and shows a phenotypic change of epithelial cells as part of the events precursors of oral carcinogenesis. It was not possible to verify the relation between histological grading of oral epithelial dysplasia and expression of Wnt-5a.

Keywords : Immunohistochemistry; Proteins; Epithelium..