Imunoexpressão de fator de crescimento endotelial vascular em paracoccidioidomicose

Abstract

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a deep systemic fungal infection caused by the fungus of the genus Paracoccidioides. Microscopically, this disease shows hyperplastic pseudoepitheliomatous epithelium with areas of microabscess, intense polymorphonuclear inflammatory infiltrate, and connective tissue with intense diffuse mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is a 45kDa pro-inflammatory glycoprotein expressed in the cytoplasm and cell membrane of various cell types with main role in the angiogenic process. The purpose of the present study are to evaluate the prevalence of oral lesions of PCM diagnosed in the Laboratory of Oral Anatomopathology of UNIFAL-MG from 1998 to 2020; to analyze immunohistochemically the expression of VEGF in oral lesions of PCM; to compare the immunoexpression of VEGF with the clinical and microscopic aspects of these lesions. Our results showed a total of 98 cases of PCM diagnosed in our service, predominantly in male, Caucasian, and mean age of 50.2 years. It occured more frequently at the gingiva and alveolar ridge. Microscopic analysis was performed in 83 cases and presented pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia, areas of microabscesses, intense and diffuse mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate, and multinucleated giant cells (MGCs) were present in almost all cases. It was also observed that in most cases, the fungi were present in three locations: dispersed throughout the connective tissue, inside the MGCs, and in the areas of microabscesses. It was not possible to correlate VEGF immunoexpression with clinical and microscopic variables. Based on the results, it is concluded that paracoccidioidomycosis in the oral mucosa is a relatively uncommon pathological condition and that, in our sample, the immunoexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor was mild and observed in a reduced number of cases.