European Annals of Dental Sciences Official Publication of Ankara University, Faculty of Dentistry E A D S EADS, 2022, 49 (Suppl), S21–24 e-ISSN : 2757-6744 doi : 10.52037/eads.2022.0016 Article Received : August, 20 2021 Article Accepted : October, 30 2021 CONGRESS PROCEEDING Potential Biomarkers For Early Detection Of Oral Cancer: Leptin And Adiponectin Nezaket Ezgi Özer ID 1* , Aslı Tetik Vardarlı ID 2 , Betül Karaca ID 1 , Ali Veral ID 3 and Pelin Güneri ID 1 1 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey and 2 Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey and 3 Department of Medical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey * Corresponding Author; nezgiozer@hotmail.com Abstract Purpose: To determine adiponectin and leptin expression levels in samples from healthy, dysplastic and cancerous oral lesions and to investigate the potential role of these biomarkers in oral cancer development. Methods: Tissue samples from the archives which were histologically diagnosed as oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) (n=24), oral dysplasia (n=12) and healthy tissue (n=16) were included. The concentration and purity of samples were determined after total RNA extraction. Thereafter, cDNA synthesis was performed. The differences between expression levels were evaluated with qPCR. Expression levels related to OSCC were performed according to normalizing gene ACTB. 2 – δδCT method was used for comparison of expression levels. Student t-test was used to compare the differences in gene expression levels between groups, using 2 – δδCT value for each gene. Results: Adiponectin and leptin expression levels were decreased by 1.09 (p = 0.49) and 10.3 (p = 0.22), respectively, in OSCC group, however differences were not statistically significant. The level of adiponectin expression decreased by 1.65 times (p = 0.62) and leptin expression increased by 3 times (p = 0.30) in the dysplasia group. When OSCC and dysplasia groups were compared, it was found that the level of adiponectin expression increased by 1.52 times (p = 0.99) and the level of leptin expression decreased by 30.94 times (p = 0.16) in the OSCC group. The samples were re-grouped as increased risk (OSCC+dysplasia) (n=36) and healthy (n=16) and a decrease by 16.5 (p= 0.3) in leptin expression and an increase by 1.14 (p= 0.6) in adiponectin expression was observed in the increased risk group compared to the healthy group. Conclusion: In tissue samples diagnosed as healthy, dysplastic and OSCC, expression levels for leptin and adiponectin have not been compared before. The results revealed a decrease in leptin expression and an increase in adiponectin expression in increased risk group. Key words: Adinoceptin; Leptin; Oral Cancer Introduction More than 90 per cent of all oral and oropharyngeal cancers are histologically diagnosed as squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). 1 Oral SCCs cause severe damage to the oral and facial anatomical struc- tures before and after treatment. However, most SCC cases are di- agnosed at advanced stages. 2 The 5-year survival rate for oral SCC after treatment is approximately 50%. 1,2 The delayed detection and recognition of these lesions by the patient or the dental practitioner and the prolongation of the diagnosis process reduce the survival rates of the disease. Studies have revealed that 30% of oral SCC patients had undergone oral cancer screening in the 3 years prior to receiving a diagnosis of oral SCC. 3 Management of advanced- stage tumors includes radical surgery involving neck dissection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. The surgical procedures, which result in significant loss of tissue from the head and neck area, lead to devastating psychological and sociological effects on patients. Therefore, early detection and diagnosis of oral SCC are essential to induce overall survival rates and to reduce treatment-related complications and treatment costs. 3 Molecular diagnosis/genetic studies have become more and more prominent in the prevention of oral cancer to identify risk groups before the disease presents. How to cite:Ozer NE, Tetik Vardarli A, Karaca B, Veral A, Guneri P. Potential Biomarkers For Early Detection Of Oral Cancer: Leptin And Adiponectin. EADS. 2022;49(Suppl):S21-24