O. Tiitta et al., TENASCIN EXPRESSION IN MUCOCUTANEOUS DISEASES AND RELATED LESIONS OF HUMAN ORAL-MUCOSA, Archives of oral biology, 40(11), 1995, pp. 1039-1045
The expression of tenascin was assessed immunohistochemically. Tn norm
al oral mucosa, immunoreactivity for tenascin was seen either as a del
icate line underlining the epithelium or in the stromal papillae. In o
ral lichen planus, a marked enhancement of tenascin immunoreactivity i
n the lamina propria was associated with focal infiltrates of inflamma
tory cells and seemed to reflect the intensity of inflammation. In lic
henoid reactions in which only a sparse inflammatory infiltrate was pr
esent a band-like tenascin reactivity was Seen. Oral psoriform reactio
ns and chronic hyperplastic candidosis showed a prominent tenascin rea
ction in the connective tissue papillae among infiltrates of inflammat
ory cells. The results show that tenascin content is increased in oral
mucocutaneous diseases and related lesions and that the abundance of
tenascin reflects the intensity of the inflammatory reaction.