Cyclo-oxygenase-1 and -2 expression in human oral mucosa, dysplasias and squamous cell carcinomas and their pathological significance.

Cyclo-oxygenase (COX) is a key enzyme in the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostanoids. The expression of its isoforms, COX-1 and -2 is found in many human malignancies. This study analyzed the correlation between COX expression and the pathobiological nature of human oral mucosa, dysplasias and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). We examined 9 specimens of normal oral epithelia, 65 lesions with dysplasias and 50 SCCs. Labeling indices (LIs) for COX-1, COX-2, Ki-67 and P53, microvessel density (MVD) and apoptotic index (AI) were evaluated using immunohistochemistry and TUNEL methods. Western blot analysis of COX-1 and -2 was performed on four human oral SCC cell lines, all of which showed expression. The LIs for COX-1 and -2 were higher for the dysplasias than the SCCs. LIs of COX-2 but not COX-1 correlated with the histological grade of dysplasia, being highest for the severe dysplasias (p < 0.05). In contrast, the COX-2 LIs as well as COX-1 were significantly (p < 0.05) inversely correlated with the histological differentiation of the SCCs. COX-2 expression was significantly correlated with LIs of COX-1 for dysplasia (p < 0.05), but not for the SCCs. In addition no significant relationship was noted between COX-2 expression and the Lis of Ki-67, P53, AI as well as MVD for the dysplasias and SCCs. The expression of COX-1 and -2 is correlated with early stage tumorigenesis and cellular differentiation of SCCs in the oral dysplasia-carcinoma sequence.