QUANTITATIVE-ANALYSIS ON THE MIXED SALIVA KALLIKREIN-PROKALLIKREIN SYSTEM IN ORAL SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA

Few biochemical analyses on the mixed salivary kallikrein-prokallikrei n system exist. At present, there is no statistically relevant informa tion about possible relationships between mixed salivary kallikreins a nd ma lignant processes, especially oral squamous cell carcinoma. In o rder to prove quantitative alterations of the kallikrein-prokallikrein system in the presence of oral squamous cell carcinoma, we estimated the enzyme content in mixed saliva from 15 men with oral squamous cell carcinoma and proenzyme in 14 men with the same tumors. Seventeen mal es served as controls for enzyme and 16 for proenzyme. Enzymatic cleav age of the chromogenetic tripeptide DL-Val-Leu-Arg-p-nitranilide was u sed. Additionally, we investigated a control group of 17 women of the same age as the males in order to record normal enzyme and pro-enzyme levels. The Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test showed highly significant eleva tion of mixed saliva kallikrein (P=0.0003) and a highly significant in crease in prokallikrein (P=0.0012) in patients with the oral squamous cell carcinomas. The present findings indicate a probable biochemical role of the mixed saliva kallikrein and prokallikrein in the pathogene sis of oral tumors.