VEGF and his R1 and R2 receptors expression in mast cells of oral squamous cells carcinomas and their involvement in tumoral angiogenesis.

More than 90% of malignant neoplasms of the oral cavity are squamous carcinomas of oral mucosa and most are conventional type. This study included 60 cases of oral squamous carcinoma processed by usual histological technique and stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin and Alcian Blue-Safranin (Alcian Blue powder from Sigma Aldrich, code A5268-25G) and diagnosed in the Department of Pathology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova. Double immunohistochemical (CD105-tryptase, VEGF-, VEGFR1-, VEGFR2-tryptase) or combined histochemical and immunohistochemical reactions (VEGF÷ VEGFR1÷ VEGFR2÷Alcian Blue-Safranin) followed the particular morphological aspects of the mast cells, their relation with the blood vessels and the overlap signal of tryptase and Alcian Blue-Safranin÷VEGF and its R1 and R2 receptors in mast cells. Immunostaining for VEGF and its R1 and R2 receptors was present both in tumor cells and mast cells. Double immunohistochemical-histochemical reactions allowed us angiogenic profiling the mast cells. The signal overlap was present for VEGF-, VEGFR1-, VEGFR2-tryptase intratumoral and tumor invasion front mast cells. Student's t-test for comparison of intratumoral and the invasion front MDM showed highly significant value (p=3.23 E-08). VEGF÷ VEGFR1÷ VEGFR2÷Alcian Blue-Safranin revealed particular morphological aspects of mast cells, in with different morphology, shapes, sizes and degrees of degranulation. Statistical analysis showed a linear correlation between MDM and MVD inside the tumor (Pearson coefficient =0.47) and a weak linear correlation at the front of invasion (Pearson coefficient =0.19). This study has highlighted the importance of mast cells in the tumor growth of the oral squamous carcinomas, especially in terms of their proangiogenic profile (expression of VEGF and its R1 and R2 receptors). In addition, their quantification as MDM makes this parameter a useful prognostic marker.