Table 1.
Clinical, pathological, and epidemiologic characteristics of 37 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.
Fig 1.
Immunostaining images of TRPV1–4 in human squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (by grade).
Merged image of anti-TRPV1–4 (green), counterstained with Evance blue (red) and DAPI (blue).
Fig 2.
Immunostaining images of TRPV1–4 in normal human oral mucosae.
Merged image of anti-TRPV1–4 (green), counterstained with Evance blue (red) and DAPI (blue).
Fig 3.
Box plot demonstrating TRPV1–4 expression in normal human oral mucosae.
The relative expression level of each target gene was normalized to ACTB levels in the same sample and expressed relative to control group expression (DDCT method; Applied Biosystems). Box plots illustrate the median, lower and upper quartile values of TRPV1–4 expression. Whiskers were calculated using the Tukey method; filled circles represent outliers. (a) Relative levels of expression of TRPV1, 2, 3, and 4 in the oral cavity (all regions, tongue, buccal mucosa, gingiva, and oral floor). A comprehensive examination by qPCR of all regions in the oral cavity showed that expression of TRPV1 and TRPV3 was significantly higher than that of TRPV2 and TRPV4 (p < 0.01). In the tongue, buccal mucosa, and oral floor, TRPV1 expression was significantly greater than that of TRPV2 and TRPV4 (p < 0.05). In the gingiva, relative expression levels of TRPV1 and TRPV3 were significantly higher than those of TRPV2 and TRPV4 (p < 0.01). (b) Relative levels of TRPV1, 2, 3, and 4 expression by site in normal human oral mucosae. No significant differences were observed in relative expression levels; however, expression levels were relatively high in the tongue and oral floor in comparison with the gingiva and buccal mucosa.
Fig 4.
Comparisons of relative levels of expression of TRPV1–4 in all oral cavity sites between normal oral mucosae and oral mucosae from patients with SCC.
The levels of each target gene were normalized to those of ACTB in the same samples and are expressed relative to expression in the control group (DDCT method; Applied Biosystems). Box plots illustrate the median, lower, and upper quartiles of TRPV1–4 expression. Whiskers were calculated using the Tukey method; filled circles represent outliers. **p < 0.01, *p < 0.05. Immunostaining images of squamous cell cancer in each respective site are presented below the graphs. Merged image of anti-TRPV1-4 (green), counterstained with Evance blue (red) and DAPI (blue). Comparisons of relative expression levels of a. TRPV1; b. TRPV2; c. TRPV3; and d. TRPV4.
Fig 5.
Box plot of relative levels of expression of TRPV1, 2, 3, and 4 compared by tumor grade.
Expression levels of each target gene were normalized to those of ACTB in the same sample and are expressed relative to control group expression (DDCT method; Applied Biosystems). Box plots illustrate the median, lower, and upper quartiles of TRPV1–4 expression. Whiskers were calculated using the Tukey method; filled circles represent outliers. No consistent trends or significant differences in relative levels of expression of TRPV1, 2, 3, or 4 were observed according to tumor grade of human oral SCC.
Fig 6.
Box plot illustrating relative levels of TRPV1, 2, 3, and 4 expression compared by alcohol consumption and smoker status.
Expression levels of each target gene were normalized to those of ACTB in the same samples and are expressed relative to control group expression levels (DDCT method; Applied Biosystems). Box plots illustrate the median, and lower, and upper quartiles of TRPV1–4 expression. Whiskers were calculated using the Tukey method; filled circles represent outliers. **p < 0.01, *p < 0.05. (a) Relative expression levels of TRPV1, 2, 3, and 4 were all significantly higher in alcohol users than non-users. (b) Relative expression levels of TRPV1, 2, 3, and 4 were higher in the smoking than the non-smoking group. For TRPV2, 3 and 4, the difference was significant, whereas for TRPV1, the difference was not significant, although expression levels of this receptor were higher among smokers.