Study On The Expression Of TLR2 In Oral Submucous Fibrosis

Objective:To investigate the expression and distribution of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) in oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), and further discuss its possible role in pathology of OSF.Methods:The SABC immunohistochemistry was used for detecting the expression and distribution of TLR2 in tissues of 5 normal controllers and 30 patients suffered from OSF(10 cases of early,intermediate and advanced stage, respectively).The positive reaction was observed and the absolute number and the percentage of positive cells were counted.Results:(1) A positive expression of TLR2 was detected in normal oral mucosa, and a significant increasing of expression could be found in OSF(P<0.05).The expression of TLR2 in OSF was mainly detected in submucosal connective tissues.(2) There was no significant difference between each stage of OSF in the percentage of TLR2 positive cells in the submucosa(P>0.05).When the absolute number of TLR2 positive cells in the submucosa at each stage of OSF was compared, it was decreased significantly at advanced stage, in comparison to early and intermediate stage(P<0.05), and no significant difference between early and intermediate stage (P>0.05).Conclusions:Comparing with the normal oral mucosa, the expression of TLR2 was significantly increased in OSF tissues.It indicated that TLR2 may contribute to the pathogenisis of OSF.