HIV Infection Induces Morphometrical Changes on the Oral (Buccal Mucosa and Tongue) Epithelial Cells

Adriane      Bastos Pompermayer; Francisca      Berenice Dias Gil; Beatriz      Helena Sottile Franca; Maria      Angela Naval Machado; Paula      Cristina Trevilatto; Angela      Fernandes; Antonio      Adilson Soares de Lima

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess morphological and morphometrical alterations of oral squamous epithelial cells in type 1 HIV infected individuals. Oral smears were collected from tongue and buccal mucosa of 30 HIV infected (experimental) and 30 non-infected (control) individuals by liquid-based exfoliative cytology. The cells were morphologically analyzed and the nuclear area (NA), the cytoplasmic area (CA) and the nucleus-to-cytoplasm area ratio (NA/CA) were calculated. No morphological differences were found between the groups. The mean values of CA were decreased in tongue (P.00006) and buccal mucosa (P=.00242) in HIV infected individual, while mean values of NA were increased (P=.00308 and .00095, respectively) in the same group. NA/CA ratio for experimental group was increased in both collected places, with P=.00001 (tongue) and P=.00000 (buccal mucosa). This study revealed that HIV infection was able to induce morphometrical changes on the oral epithelial cells.

Keywords: Exfoliative cytology, HIV, oral mucosa, oral squamous epithelium, immunodeficiency virus, retrovirus, syndrome, immunosuppression, pathogenic, candidosis, Kaposi's sarcoma, oral sex, breast-feeding, keratinocytes, cytomorphologic, blood glucose levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, tobacco, mucosa, enzyme, marital, oral liquid-based, cytology, debris, bacteria, squamous epithelial cells, microscopy, binocular, parabasal cells, Fisher's exact test, homogeneity, inflammatory, biopsy, anemia, oral ulceration xerostomia dysgeusis, multiform erythema, lichenoid reaction, hybridiation, immunohistochemisty, dose-dependent, neoplastic, keratinization process, oral epithelium