A recent study has revealed that elevated levels of salivary microvesicles (MVs) could serve as a potential biomarker for non-healing oral ulcers and oral cancer. Microvesicles, small membrane-bound particles secreted by cells, have long been present in the saliva of healthy individuals but have also been linked to malignant tumours. However, the precise role of MVs in diseases like oral cancer has remained unclear.
The study, which involved 73 patients with non-healing oral ulcers and diagnosed oral cancer, as well as 62 healthy volunteers with oral ulcers, aimed to investigate the proportion of apoptotic MVs in saliva. Samples were analysed using advanced techniques such as dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and flow cytometry. Results indicated that saliva from patients with non-healing oral ulcers and oral cancer showed a significantly higher number of apoptotic MVs compared to the healthy group (p < 0.001). These vesicles were typically round or slightly elongated, with diameters ranging from 100 to 1,000 nm.
The findings also revealed a strong correlation between the number of salivary apoptotic MVs and the severity of the oral ulcers in patients (p<0.001). Notably, none of the oral cancer patients had a history of smoking or alcohol consumption, ruling out these factors as contributing causes.
This study suggests that salivary apoptotic MVs could be a promising diagnostic tool for identifying oral cancer and assessing the severity of related oral ulcers.
Helena Bradbury, EMJ
Reference
Zhao J et al. Salivary apoptotic microvesicles as biomarkers for prognostic non-healing oral ulcers and oral cancer: a cross-sectional study. Scientific Reports. 2025;15:9297.
