GLUTATHIONE CONCENTRATION IN ORAL-CANCER TISSUES

Glutathione (GSH) concentrations in human epidermoid carcinoma tissues were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. The mean glu tathione content of 26 epidermoid carcinoma intratumor tissue specimen s was 24.36 nmol/mg protein, which was significantly higher than that in adjacent non-tumor tissue parts (3.04 nmol/mg protein). The mean co ncentration found in normal oral mucosa was 4.80 nmol/mg protein. Tiss ue GSH levels were not correlated with the age of the patients or tumo r size. Additionally, cellular GSH levels in nine different cell lines were found to spread over a wide range from 0.97 to 50.97 nmol/mg pro tein. Elevated GSH levels in cancer tissues were probably due to their abnormal proliferative activities. These results indicate that the gl utathione level of oral tissues may be a useful marker for oral cancer , which is in agreement with findings from lung squamous cell carcinom a, cervical squamous cell carcinoma and other squamous cell carcinomas .