Korean J Dermatol.  2000 Feb;38(2):207-212.

The Preliminary Study of Apoptosis and Expression of p53, bcl-2, PCNA and iNOS in Porokeratosis and Actinic Keratosis

• Myung KB

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Porokeratosis is characterized by cornoid lamellae histologically and evolve cutaneous malignant tumors in about 7% of the patients. Actinic keratosis is the most common premalignant lesion and progressed into squamous cell carcinoma in 20% of the patients. It has been reported that the expression of p53 increased within or beneath the cornoid lamellae of porokeratosis and actinic keratosis.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to understand the role of apoptosis in pathogenesis and progression into malignant tumors and to investigate whether a positive correlation occurs between apoptosis index and expression of p53, bcl-2, PCNA and iNOS in porokeratosis and actinic keratosis.
METHODS
TUNEL staining and immunohistochemical staining with p53, bcl-2, PCNA and iNOS antibody were done in paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 10 cases of porokeratosis and 12 cases of actinic keratosis.
RESULTS
The results are summarized as follow: 1. The mean of apoptosis index(%) was 27.3+/-7.82 in porokeratosis, 36.3+/-10.32 in cornoid lamellae of porokeratosis. 2. The mean of apoptosis index(%) of actinic keratosis was 41.5+/-8.98 and statistically significant higher than that of porokeratosis(p=0.002). 3. Statistically significant correlatioin between p53 expression and apoptosis index was found only in porokeratosis(sig=0.046).
CONCLUSIONS
Actinic keratosis more frequently evolves into malignant tumors than porokeratosis, which is supported by more higher apoptosis index than that of porokeratosis. The apoptosis and p53, rather than proliferation, may provide the pathogenesis and progression into malignant tumor in porokeratosis, but in actinic keratosis other apoptosis-related factors may be related.

Keyword

Porokeratosis; Actinic keratosis; Apoptosis

MeSH Terms

Actins*
Apoptosis*
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
Humans
In Situ Nick-End Labeling
Keratosis, Actinic*
Porokeratosis*
Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen*
Actins
Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen