Quantitative Proteomics Reveals Myosin and Actin as Promising Saliva Biomarkers for Distinguishing Pre-Malignant and Malignant Oral Lesions

Oral cancer survival rates increase significantly when it is detected and treated early. Unfortunately, clinicians now lack tests which easily and reliably distinguish pre-malignant oral lesions from those already transitioned to malignancy. A test for proteins, ones found in non-invasively-collected whole saliva and whose abundances distinguish these lesion types, would meet this critical need.To discover such proteins, in a first-of-its-kind study we used advanced mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics analysis of the pooled soluble fraction of whole saliva from four subjects with pre-malignant lesions and four with malignant lesions. We prioritized candidate biomarkers via bioinformatics and validated selected proteins by western blotting. Bioinformatic analysis of differentially abundant proteins and initial western blotting revealed increased abundance of myosin and actin in patients with malignant lesions. We validated those results by additional western blotting of individual whole saliva samples from twelve other subjects with pre-malignant oral lesions and twelve with malignant oral lesions. Sensitivity/specificity values for distinguishing between different lesion types were 100%/75% (p = 0.002) for actin, and 67%/83% (p<0.00001) for myosin in soluble saliva. Exfoliated epithelial cells from subjects' saliva also showed increased myosin and actin abundance in those with malignant lesions, linking our observations in soluble saliva to abundance differences between pre-malignant and malignant cells.Salivary actin and myosin abundances distinguish oral lesion types with sensitivity and specificity rivaling other non-invasive oral cancer tests. Our findings provide a promising starting point for the development of non-invasive and inexpensive salivary tests to reliably detect oral cancer early

Verhaltensmedizin, Psychotherapie und Zahnheilkunde

Biological, psychological and social processes are of relevance in the development and treatment of dental disorders. However, knowledge about interactions among these factors has only few implications for clinical practice. Hence, the goal of this article is to provide an overview of the links between behavioral medicine, psychotherapy and dentistry. The biobehavioral implications of different dental illnesses and disorders (caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, burning-mouth syndrome, and halitosis) as well as biobehavioral characteristics of specific patient groups are presented. The existing scientific knowledge in the interdisciplinary field of behavioral medicine, psychotherapy and dentistry provides the basis for a variety of treatment approaches. Its efficacy has, in part, already been confirmed. The integration of knowledge on psychobiological processes underlying psychotherapy and dental illnesses may lead to new interventions, based on the concept of neuropsychotherapy. It can be expected that further studies on the efficacy and effectiveness of specific biobehavioral interventions will significantly contribute to an increase in oral health