Role of inflammatory cells in the progression of oral leukoplasia to squamous cell carcinoma in a preclinical model

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the head and neck region is one of the most frequent malignant neoplasms in the world. One of the ways to prevent it is early detection and treatment of potentially malignant oral lesions (PML). One of the most common LPMO is an oral leukoplakia (OLP) and its rate of malignant transformation is related to its clinical form and the presence or absence of epithelial dysplasia. To date, there is no evidence that any treatment for OLP reduces progression to oral cancer. The objectives of the study will be: to characterize the inflammatory cell population after treatments with artemisinin and/or Rubus occidentalis extract (BRB) in a preclinical model; verify if the treatments mentioned above are able to prevent or delay the progression of OLP to OHC. Material and methods: 128 male mice will receive water with 4-Nitroquinoline N-oxide for 20 weeks. At week 8, after detection of LPOs, animals should be treated with weekly subepithelial injection of artemisinin and/or by BRB in daily feed. In the 12th, 16th and 20th weeks, the animals will be euthanized, as well as the collected tongues will be clinically analyzed and photographed. The tongue will be collected and submitted to histological processing, the classification of the degree of epithelial dysplasia will be carried out using conventional light microscopy and the characterization and quantification of the population of immune cells will be done by the multiplex immunohistochemistry technique for the subjects: CD3, CD4, CD8, CD244, NK Cell, CD68 and CD1a. Statistical tests can be used with ± = 0.05. (AU)