ABSTRACT
Statement of the Problem: Peripheral and central giant cell granuloma are two common benign lesions of the oral cavity. In spite of histopathological similarities, they have different clinical behaviors. Cathepsin D is a lysosomal enzyme which has different functions on the basis of protein and applied peptide cleavage
Purpose: This research aimed to evaluate and compare the expression level of Cathepsin D in these two lesions to find the reasons for the differences in clinical and biologic characteristics
Materials and Method: The expression of Cathepsin D was investigated by using the immunohistochemistry method in 20 samples of peripheral giant cell granuloma and 20 samples of central giant cell granuloma. The percentage of stained giant cells [labeling index], the intensity of staining of giant cells, and staining-intensity-distribution in both groups were calculated and compared
Results: The labeling indices of Cathepsin D in peripheral giant cell granuloma and central giant cell granuloma were 95.9 +/- 4.03 and 95.6 +/- 2.34, respectively. There was no significant difference in the percentages of stained giant cells between the two groups [p= 0.586]. The intensity of staining of giant cells in central giant cell granuloma was stronger than that of peripheral giant cell granuloma [p> 0.001]. Staining- intensity- distribution of giant cells in central giant cell granuloma was significantly greater than that of the peripheral type of lesion [p= 0.001]
Conclusion: The higher expression level of Cathepsin D in central giant cell granuloma compared to peripheral type of lesion can explain more aggressive behavior of central giant cell granuloma