Diabetes increases both N-ras and ets-1 expression during rat oral oncogenesis resulting in enhanced cell proliferation and metastatic potential.

Background: The expression of N-ras and ets-1 proteins was investigated in an experimental model of chemically-induced carcinogenesis in normal and diabetic (type I) Sprague-Dawley rats.

Materials And Methods: Tissue sections ranging from normal mucosa to moderately-differentiated oral squamous cell carcinoma were studied using monoclonal antibodies against N-ras and ets-1 proteins.

Results: In diabetic rats, N-ras expression increased with tumor advancement, while in normal rats N-ras was not detected in initial stages of oral oncogenesis and increased only in well-differentiated OSCC.

Diabetes alters expression of p53 and c-myc in different stages of oral oncogenesis.

Background: The expression of tumour suppressor p53 and oncogene c-myc was investigated in an experimental model of chemically induced carcinogenesis in normal and diabetic (type I) Sprague-Dawley rats.

Materials And Methods: Tissue sections ranging from normal mucosa to moderately differentiated oral squamous cell carcinoma were studied using monoclonal antibodies against mutant p53 and c-myc proteins.

Results: From hyperplasia to later stages of oral oncogenesis, mutant p53 expression was at higher levels in diabetic rats in comparison to normal animals, although the pattern of expression was similar.