Study On The Expression Of HGF And C-met In Oral Submucous Fibrosis

Objective:To investigate the expression and distribution of hepatocyte growth factor(HGF) and hepatocyte growth factor receptor (c-met) in oral submucous fibrosis(OSF),and further discuss the pathological mechanism of OSF.Methods:The SABC immunohistochemistry was used for detecting the expression and distribution of HGF and c-met in 5 normal controllers and 30 cases of victims who suffered from OSF respectively.The staining intensity were judged by average integrated option density by the soft ware of Image-Pro Plus.Results:(1) A positive expression of HGF was detected in normal oral mucosa,and a significant decrease of expression could be found in early,advaneed and intermediate stages of OSF(P＜0.05).There is no significant difference between each stage of OSF.(2) The expression of HGF in epithelium was much higher than in submueosal connective tissues in advanced and intermediate stages of OSF,the differenees were of statistical significance(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in normal oral mucosa and early stage of OSF.(3) A positive expression of c-met was detected in normal oral mucosa, and a significant decrease of expression could be found in early,advanced and intermediate stages of OSF(P＜0.05).There is no significant difference between each stage of OSF.(4) The expression of c-met protein in epithelium was much higher than in submueosal connective tissues in early stage of OSF,but much lower in intermediate stages of OSF,the differences were of statistical significance(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in normal oral mucosa and advanced stage of OSF.Conclusions:Comparing with the normal oral mucosa,the expression of HGF and c-met were decreased in OSF tissues.It indicates the degrade of HGF and c-met may contribute to the pathogenisis of OSF.