Canniff J P, Harvey W
Int J Oral Surg. 1981;10(Suppl 1):163-7.
Oral submucous fibrosis is a chronic disabling disease developing in up to 0.5% of the estimated 500 million habitual chewers of the "betel" quid. The quid, or chew, usually comprises a leaf of the Piper betel vine in which is wrapped fragments of the nut of Areca catechu, together with slaked lime and varied additives, including tobacco. The precise aetiology of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) remains obscure, but epidemiological and animal studies have pointed to a close association with the prolonged usage of A. catechu nuts. Epithelial atypia and epidermoid carcinoma have been reported in 15% and 7%, respectively, of patients with established OSF. Preparations from varieties of A. catechu nuts have been tested for their ability to stimulate collagen synthesis in microwell cultures of human fibroblasts, using a pulse of 3H-proline and subsequent analysis of the cultures for radioactive collagen. Crude extracts of three varieties of areca nuts were extracted with ethanol and lyophilised before dilution in the culture medium. Control media contained identical concentrations of ethanol where appropriate. The three extracts at a concentration of 10 micrograms/ml stimulated collagen synthesis by approximately 150%, suggesting that this effect might be involved in the aetiology of oral submucous fibrosis.
口腔黏膜下纤维化是一种慢性致残性疾病，在估计5亿习惯咀嚼“槟榔”块的人群中，发病率高达0.5%。槟榔块通常由蒌叶包裹着槟榔坚果碎片，再加上熟石灰和包括烟草在内的各种添加剂组成。口腔黏膜下纤维化（OSF）的确切病因仍不清楚，但流行病学和动物研究表明，它与长期食用槟榔坚果密切相关。在已确诊的OSF患者中，分别有15%和7%的患者出现上皮异型增生和表皮样癌。使用3H-脯氨酸脉冲处理，并对培养物中的放射性胶原蛋白进行后续分析，已对多种槟榔坚果的制剂在人成纤维细胞微孔培养中刺激胶原蛋白合成的能力进行了测试。三种槟榔坚果的粗提物用乙醇提取并冻干，然后在培养基中稀释。对照培养基在适当情况下含有相同浓度的乙醇。浓度为10微克/毫升的三种提取物可使胶原蛋白合成增加约150%，这表明这种作用可能与口腔黏膜下纤维化的病因有关。
