Estudo da imunoexpressão do VEGF165 e do VEGF165B em lesões orais de líquen plano e pênfigo vulgar

Abstract

Oral Lichen Planus is an immunologically mediated mucocutaneous disease of relatively unknown etiology with prevalences in the world population varying from 0.22 to 5%. Pemphigus vulgaris is a chronic autoimmune disease that may affect the oral mucosa being the most common type of pemphigus. However, its occurrence is rare, with an estimated incidence in the general population of one to five cases per million people diagnosed each year. Angiogenesis plays an important role in tumor growth and in the progression of chronic inflammatory diseases. VEGF-A is the most potent angiogenic protein in both normal and pathological angiogenesis. The alternative splicing of exon 8 VEGF-A gene gives rise to two known families of isoform proteins, one playing angiogenic role, VEGFxxxa, and another an antiangiogenic role, VEGFxxxb. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of VEGF165 (angiogenic), VEGF165b (antiangiogenic) in 46 cases of reticular OLP, 23 cases of erosive OLP and 12 cases of PV, using as control 11 cases of fibrous hyperplasia. All specimens of the lesions and the control cases were divided into zones for the analysis of the immunohistochemical stains, in superficial (Z1), medium (Z2) and deep zones (Z3). The results of this experiment were submitted to non-parametric statistical tests with significance level of 5%. For all immunohistochemical stains the comparison between the lesions with the control group (HF) showed significant differences. Comparing only the lesions to the anti-VEGF165 stains, significant differences were observed only in the deeper zones between the reticular LPO lesions X PV; and between erosive LPO lesions X PV. For the anti-VEGF165b stains, significant differences were observed in medium zones between reticular OLP X PV lesions; and in deep zones between erosive LPO X PV and between reticular LPO and PV. And evaluating VEGF165b stains in specimens without categorizing them by zones was observed a significant difference between reticular LPO and PV lesions. In the analysis of the correlation between both markers in each lesion, a weak and significant positive correlation was observed in medium and deep zones of reticular OLP; and a weak positive correlation in superficial zone of erosive LPO. The present study results suggest angiogenic process participation in the pathogenesis and progression of lesions of oral lichen planus and pemphigus vulgaris. However other studies must be carried out in order that this implication, mainly in relation to pemphigus vulgaris be based once this is one of the first studies to evaluate angiogenesis in the already established lesion of this disease