KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to investigate and compare the microbial communities present in different OPMDs.
- Researchers found distinct bacterial species in OPMDs, suggesting these microbes may play a role in disease development.
The role of the oral microbiome in the development of oral cancer, a type of head and neck cancer, has become an area of increasing interest for researchers. While the link between the oral microbiome and oral cancer is being actively investigated, less is known about the microbial communities associated with oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). Understanding these microbial communities could provide insight into the development and progression of these disorders.
Xuan Zhou and the team aimed to characterize and compare the microbial communities found in different OPMDs.
Researchers obtained oral biopsy samples from patients with various OPMDs, including oral leukoplakia (OLK), proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL), oral lichen planus (OLP), and oral lichenoid lesions (OLL).
Additionally, samples were collected from patients with proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) who had progressed to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and from a control group of healthy individuals. DNA was extracted from these samples, and 2bRAD-M sequencing was used to determine the taxonomic profiles of the microbial communities present.
Analysis revealed significant differences in the richness and diversity of microbial communities across the different OPMD groups. Notably, OLK samples showed the highest microbial richness, while the microbial profiles of PVL-SCC samples resembled those of the healthy controls. Each disease group displayed a unique microbial composition, with distinct dominant bacterial species identified. The progression from PVL to SCC was marked by a decrease in Fusobacterium periodonticum and an increase in Prevotella oris.
The study highlighted the distinct nature of microbial communities in different OPMDs. The unique microbial compositions and dominant species identified for each disorder suggest these microbes could contribute to disease development. Further investigation into these differences may provide insights into the pathogenesis of these disorders.
Funding support was provided by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (China, grant numbers 81671006, 81300894,81000440), CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (China, grant number 2019-I2M-5-038), National Clinical Key Discipline Construction Project (China, PKUSSNKP-202102).
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39223464/
Zhou X, Cai X, Tang Q, et al. (2024). “Differences in the landscape of colonized microorganisms in different oral potentially malignant disorders and squamous cell carcinoma: a multi-group comparative study.” BMC Microbiol. 2024;24(1):318. Published 2024 Sep 2. doi:10.1186/s12866-024-03458-3
