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Molecular Insight into Oral Diseases

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2025 | Viewed by 4499

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Medicine and Technological Innovation, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
Interests: oral medicine; oral surgery; oral pathology; oral diseases; oral cancer; oral autoimmune disorders

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Oral diseases represent a global challenge for the medical and dental communities, in terms of both the health and economic burden for affected patients.

Dental caries, periodontal disease, and tooth loss affect billions of individuals worldwide, with inestimable social consequences, especially for children and older adults.

In addition, the 5-year survival rate of oral squamous cell carcinoma has remained at 50% in recent decades, despite recent advances in the field of cancer therapy and the introduction of immunotherapeutic approaches. Furthermore, autoimmune disorders, like oral lichen planus and vesiculobullous diseases, show great variability in terms of response to drug therapy, often representing a real challenge for clinicians.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide new insights into the field of molecular mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis, clinical behavior, diagnosis, and response to varying therapies for oral and maxillofacial diseases.

The topics of this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Dental caries and periodontal disease;
  • Oral potentially malignant disorders and oral squamous cell carcinoma;
  • Salivary gland disorders;
  • Oral lichenoid disorders;
  • Vesiculobullous diseases;
  • HPV-related disease (benign/malignant);
  • Odontogenic cysts and tumors;
  • Jawbone diseases;
  • Orofacial chronic pain disorders;
  • Other relevant conditions relevant for clinical practice.

Dr. Lorenzo Azzi
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • dental caries
  • periodontal disease
  • oral cancer
  • oral potentially malignant disorders
  • salivary gland disease
  • oral lichen planus
  • benign mucous membrane pemphigoid
  • bullous dermatoses
  • odontogenic cysts
  • odontogenic tumors
  • orofacial pain
  • human papillomavirus
  • oral diagnosis
  • oral pathology

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1957 KiB  
Article
Prediction of Oral Cancer Biomarkers by Salivary Proteomics Data
by Veronica Remori, Manuel Airoldi, Tiziana Alberio, Mauro Fasano and Lorenzo Azzi
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(20), 11120; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252011120 - 16 Oct 2024
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Abstract
Oral cancer, representing 2–4% of all cancer cases, predominantly consists of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC), which makes up 90% of oral malignancies. Early detection of OSCC is crucial, and identifying specific proteins in saliva as biomarkers could greatly improve early diagnosis. Here, [...] Read more.
Oral cancer, representing 2–4% of all cancer cases, predominantly consists of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC), which makes up 90% of oral malignancies. Early detection of OSCC is crucial, and identifying specific proteins in saliva as biomarkers could greatly improve early diagnosis. Here, we proposed a strategy to pinpoint candidate biomarkers. Starting from a list of salivary proteins detected in 10 OSCC patients and 20 healthy controls, we combined a univariate approach and a multivariate approach to select candidates. To reduce the number of proteins selected, a Protein–Protein Interaction network was built to consider only connected proteins. Then, an over-representation analysis (ORA) determined the enriched pathways. The network from 172 differentially abundant proteins highlighted 50 physically connected proteins, selecting relevant candidates for targeted experimental validations. Notably, proteins like Heat shock 70 kDa protein 1A/1B, Pyruvate kinase PKM, and Phosphoglycerate kinase 1 were suggested to be differentially regulated in OSCC patients, with implications for oral carcinogenesis and tumor growth. Additionally, the ORA revealed enrichment in immune system, complement, and coagulation pathways, all known to play roles in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. The employed method has successfully identified potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of OSCC using an accessible body fluid. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Insight into Oral Diseases)
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13 pages, 1525 KiB  
Article
MiR-146a Is Mutually Regulated by High Glucose-Induced Oxidative Stress in Human Periodontal Ligament Cells
by Chihiro Fumimoto, Nobuhiro Yamauchi, Emika Minagawa and Makoto Umeda
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(19), 10702; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms251910702 - 4 Oct 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1391
Abstract
The high-glucose conditions caused by diabetes mellitus (DM) exert several effects on cells, including inflammation. miR-146a, a kind of miRNA, is involved in inflammation and may be regulated mutually with reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are produced under high-glucose conditions. In the present [...] Read more.
The high-glucose conditions caused by diabetes mellitus (DM) exert several effects on cells, including inflammation. miR-146a, a kind of miRNA, is involved in inflammation and may be regulated mutually with reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are produced under high-glucose conditions. In the present study, we used human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) to determine the effects of the high-glucose conditions of miR-146a and their involvement in the regulation of oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines using Western blotting, PCR, ELISA and other methods. When hPDLCs were subjected to high glucose (24 mM), cell proliferation was not affected; inflammatory cytokine expression, ROS induction, interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1) and TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) expression increased, but miR-146a expression decreased. Inhibition of ROS induction with the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine restored miR-146a expression and decreased inflammatory cytokine expression compared to those under high-glucose conditions. In addition, overexpression of miR-146a significantly suppressed the expression of the inflammatory cytokines IRAK1 and TRAF6, regardless of the glucose condition. Our findings suggest that oxidative stress and miR-146a expression are mutually regulated in hPDLCs under high-glucose conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Insight into Oral Diseases)
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Review

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22 pages, 1858 KiB  
Review
Relevance of Saliva Analyses in Terms of Etiological Factors, Biomarkers, and Indicators of Disease Course in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis—A Review
by Aleksandra Kapel-Reguła, Irena Duś-Ilnicka and Małgorzata Radwan-Oczko
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(23), 12559; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252312559 - 22 Nov 2024
Viewed by 841
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating, progressive, and neurodegenerative disease. The cause of this condition remains unknown. Diagnosing and monitoring the course of this disease requires the use of time-consuming, costly, and invasive methods such as magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. [...] Read more.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating, progressive, and neurodegenerative disease. The cause of this condition remains unknown. Diagnosing and monitoring the course of this disease requires the use of time-consuming, costly, and invasive methods such as magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. To date, no specific diagnostic tests for MS are available. The purpose of this publication is to answer the question of whether saliva, as a mirror of oral and general health and easily obtainable test material, can be a significant source of information on etiological factors, biomarkers, and indicators of disease progression and whether analysis of substances in saliva is sensitive enough to replace plasma, urine, or cerebrospinal fluid. For this purpose, a systematic search of databases was conducted: PubMed, Google Scholar, and Embase. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Insight into Oral Diseases)
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