beta-carotene and Oral-Submucous-Fibrosis

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), an insidious disease, has not been widely studied with respect to levels of serum beta-carotene (b-carotene). Hence present study aimed to estimate level of serum beta carotene in patients with OSMF.. 40 subjects (study subjects) with different grades of OSMF and 40 apparently healthy subjects without OSMF (control subjects with age and sex matched as that of study subjects) were screened for serum b-carotene levels employing Sobel and Snow's method. Subjects in both the groups had areca nut or gutkha chewing habit.. Study subjects with OSMF showed lower levels of serum b-carotene as compared to control group subjects without OSMF. When the levels were compared between different disease stages, least levels of serum b-carotene were seen in Grade III OSMF subjects, as compared with Grade I and II subjects. Females showed higher levels of serum b-carotene than males in both the groups. Smokers showed depleted levels as compared to non-smokers in both groups.. b-carotene plays an important role in the pathogenesis of OSMF, and its level decreases with disease progression.

Topics: Areca; beta Carotene; Disease Progression; Female; Humans; Male; Mastication; Oral Submucous Fibrosis

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a crippling slowly progressive disease of oral cavity that predominantly affects people habit of consuming areca nut and its commercial preparations which generates high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during their metabolism.. The objective of this present study is to evaluate the role of oxidative stress in causation and progression of OSMF by measuring the levels of nonenzymatic antioxidants in OSMF patients.. For this study we selected 27 newly diagnosed OSMF patients of both sex with age group between 23 to 40 years and the same number of age and sex matched healthy individuals were selected as control group. In both the groups we measured plasma non enzymatic antioxidants like vitamin A. E, C and reduced glutathione. Total antioxidant activity was also assessed in both the groups.. We observed a very low levels of plasma non-enzymatic antioxidants (p < 0.001) and at the same time a very poor antioxidant activity (p < 0.001) in OSMF patients when compared to controls. Therefore, consumption of tobacco or areca quid creates an oxidative stress environment which might plays a major role in the causation of OSMF.

Topics: Adult; Antioxidants; Areca; beta Carotene; Biomarkers; Case-Control Studies; Disease Progression; Down-Regulation; Female; Glutathione; Humans; India; Male; Mastication; Mouth Neoplasms; Nuts; Oral Submucous Fibrosis; Oxidative Stress; Precancerous Conditions; Vitamin A; Vitamin E; Young Adult

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a chronic, insidious and disabling condition affecting the oral cavity, being especially prevalent in India and South East Asia. However, considering its high prevalence and potential to undergo malignant transformation, OSMF has not been widely investigated with respect to levels of antioxidants, especially beta carotene. In the present study, an attempt was made to analyze serum levels of beta carotene in 45 patients with oral submucous fibrosis and 45 age- and sex-matched controls. The serum beta carotene level was estimated using the Bradley and Hornbeck method. The serum beta carotene level was significantly lower in the patients with oral submucous fibrosis than in the controls. When the values were compared between different disease stages, the maximum reduction of beta carotene was evident for Grade III OSMF, as compared with Grade I and II. From the present results, it is evident that beta carotene plays an important role in the pathogenesis of OSMF, and that its level decreases with disease progression. OSMF patients should be treated with a diet rich in beta carotene to reduce disease severity and progression towards malignancy.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Analysis of Variance; Antioxidants; beta Carotene; Case-Control Studies; Female; Humans; India; Male; Middle Aged; Oral Submucous Fibrosis; Precancerous Conditions; Statistics, Nonparametric