Evaluation of synuclein-γ levels by novel monoclonal antibody in saliva and cancer tissues from oral squamous cell carcinoma patients

The clinical value of synuclein-gamma (SNCG) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) was evaluated by detecting the expression of SNCG in saliva and tissues and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters (age, gender, ethnicity, degree of differentiation, clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis). Salivary samples were collected from 79 patients with OSCC, 31 patients with oral premalignant lesions (OPMLs), such as oral lichen planus, oral leukoplakia, and erythema, and 80 controls, and levels of SNCG in salivary samples were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Tissue expression in formalin-fixed tissue biopsies of 94 cases of OSCC and 30 adjacent normal tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using an antibody against SNCG. The results showed that the salivary levels of SNCG in patients with OSCC and OPMLs were significantly higher than those detected in the control group (p<0.001). The immunohistochemical results showed that SNCG was highly expressed in tumor cells of OSCC patients, with low expression in the adjacent normal epithelium (p<0.001, OR=6.074). Salivary SNCG level correlated with differentiation (p-0.022). Besides, the expression of SNCG in OSCC tissues was also significantly associated with differentiation (p<0.001).