Department of Biological Sciences, Bauru School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, Al. Octávio Pinheiro Brisolla 9-75, Bauru, SP, Brazil.
Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2011 Jul;60(7):965-74. doi: 10.1007/s00262-011-1007-5. Epub 2011 Mar 27.
PD-1 and PD-L1 can be involved in tumor escape, and little is known about the role of these molecules in oral tumors or pre-malignant lesions. In the present study, we investigated the expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 in the blood and lesion samples of patients with actinic cheilitis (AC) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Our results showed that lymphocytes from peripheral blood and tissue samples exhibited high expression of PD-1 in both groups analyzed. Patients with AC presented higher percentage as well as the absolute numbers of CD4+PD-1+ and CD8+PD-1+ lymphocytes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) than healthy individuals, while patients with OSCC presented an increased frequency of CD8+PD1+ in PBMC when compared with controls. On the other hand, increased frequency of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells expressing PD-1(+) accumulate in samples from OSCC, and the expression of PD-L1 was intense in OSCC and moderate in AC lesion sites. Lower levels of IFN-γ and higher levels of TGF-β were detected in OSCC samples. Our data demonstrate that PD-1 and PD-L1 molecules are present in blood and samples of AC and OSCC patients. Further studies are required to understand the significance of PD-1 and PD-L1 in oral tumors microenvironment.
PD-1 和 PD-L1 可参与肿瘤逃逸，而这些分子在口腔肿瘤或癌前病变中的作用知之甚少。在本研究中，我们研究了 PD-1 和 PD-L1 在光化性唇炎 (AC) 和口腔鳞状细胞癌 (OSCC) 患者的血液和病变样本中的表达。结果显示，两组患者外周血和组织样本中的淋巴细胞均高表达 PD-1。AC 患者外周血单个核细胞 (PBMC) 中 CD4+PD-1+和 CD8+PD-1+淋巴细胞的百分比和绝对数均高于健康个体，而 OSCC 患者 PBMC 中 CD8+PD1+的频率高于对照组。另一方面，表达 PD-1(+)的 CD4+和 CD8+T 细胞在 OSCC 样本中积累增多，PD-L1 在 OSCC 中表达强烈，在 AC 病变部位中度表达。OSCC 样本中检测到 IFN-γ 水平降低和 TGF-β 水平升高。本研究数据表明，PD-1 和 PD-L1 分子存在于 AC 和 OSCC 患者的血液和样本中。需要进一步研究以了解 PD-1 和 PD-L1 在口腔肿瘤微环境中的意义。
