Proteomics pattern associated with gingival oral squamous cell carcinoma and epulis: A case analysis

Objectives: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common epithelial malignant neoplasm affecting the oral cavity. OSCC can mimic oral lesions of inflammatory origin with benign features, often leading to delay in diagnosis and treatment. Early detection is important to greatly increase the chances of a successful treatment. The present study reports a proteomic analysis of a gingival oral squamous cell carcinoma (G-OSCC) and an epulis. Materials and methods: Normal mucosae tissue, G-OSCC tissue, and epulis tissue as a comparative sample of benign nature were collected and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen. Tissue-extracted proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and subjected to image analysis. Proteins that showed a significant difference in the expression level in the G-OSCC tissue were identified by the nano-ESI-HPLC-MS/MS experiment and database searchi. Results and conclusion: The proteomic analysis of G-OSCC tissue enabled the identification of proteins that are potentially related to the disease; these proteins can be considered as signature molecules for diagnostic and prognostic tumor markers.