Abstract Matrix degradation is an important event in the progression, invasion and metastasis of malignant head and neck lesions. Imbalances, mutations and polymorphisms of MMPs and their inhibitors are observed in several cancer subtypes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the MMP-7 gene promoter (181 A/G) and MMP-9 (-1562 C/T) polymorphisms in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). MMP-7 (rs11568818) and MMP-9 (rs3918242) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis in 71 cases of OTSCC. Normal tissue specimens were obtained from 60 healthy volunteers to serve as the control. The MMP-7 G allele and MMP-9 T allele were more frequent in the OTSCC group than the control group, but only when these two SNPs were taken together was a significant association found with the nodal metastasis of OTSCC (p < 0.001). Based on our results, SNPs in the promoter region of MMP-7 and MMP-9 appear to be associated with greater risk of developing OTSCC, and with a higher propensity to form metastatic tumors. In this respect, molecular studies investigating polymorphisms may be useful in predicting tumor behavior.

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β1) in periapical lesion samples correlated with the intensity of the inflammatory infiltrate and thickness of the epithelial lining. Forty-five cases of periapical lesions (23 periapical granulomas and 22 radicular cysts) were subjected to morphological and immunohistochemical analyses using anti-MMP-9 and anti-TGF-β1 antibodies. The data were analyzed using the following tests: non-parametric Mann-Whitney, chi-square, Fisher’s exact test and Spearman’s correlation test (P<0.05). Analysis of inflammatory infiltrate revealed that 78% of periapical granulomas presented infiltrate grade III, in contrast with 32% of radicular cysts (P<0.001). Morphological evaluation of the epithelial thickness in radicular cysts revealed the presence of atrophic epithelium in 86% of the cysts. The immunostaining of MMP-9 was score 2 in 67% of the granulomas and 77% of the cysts. Both lesions were predominantly score 1 for TGF-β1. Significant differences were confirmed between the expression scores of TGF-β1 and MMP-9 in periapical granulomas (p = 0.004) and in radicular cysts (p < 0.001). Expression of TGF-β1 was different for periapical granulomas and radicular cysts. This immunoregulatory cytokine seems more representative in asymptomatic lesions. The extracellular matrix remodeling process dependent on MMP-9 seems to be similar for both periapical granulomas and radicular cysts. TGF-β1 and MMP-9 may play an important role in the maintenance of periapical lesions.

Os leiomiossarcomas são neoplasias malignas provenientes da musculatura lisa que freqüentemente requerem a utilização de técnicas especiais de coloração para o estabelecimento do diagnóstico. Embora incomuns em boca, neste trabalho são relatados dois casos de leiomiossarcoma. Após biópsia incisional das lesões e análise dos cortes em H.E, os espécimes foram submetidos à técnica histoquímica do Tricromio de Masson. Ambos os casos apresentaram reatividade para tecido muscular. Entretanto, um deles apresentou um componente fibroso bastante proeminente, gerando dúvidas acerca do diagnóstico. Por essa razão, foi utilizado um painel imuno-histoquímico composto pelos seguintes marcadores antigênicos: vimentina, AML, S100, CD34, CD68, fator XIIIA e AE1/AE3. Os dois casos mostraram-se positivos para vimentina e AML, confirmando o diagnóstico de leiomiossarcoma.

Leiomyosarcomas are malign neoplasms arising in the smooth muscle. The occurrence in the oral region, since its scarcity in this particular anatomical site, requests the utilization of special techniques for the diagnostic establishment. Here the authors relate two cases of this uncommon pathology. After the incisional biopsy and histological analysis the specimens were submitted to the histochemical technique of Masson's Tricrome to confirm the muscular origin of the tumors. Both cases confirmed the origin, but in one the staining pattern was not so clear, generating some doubts about the diagnosis. For this reason, the immunohistochemical analysis was performed utilizing antibodies anti vimentin, SMA, S100, CD34, CD68, XIIIA and AE1/AE3. Both cases showed positivity to vimentin and SMA, confirming the smooth muscle origin and the diagnosis.