嚼食檳榔是造成口腔黏膜下纖維化的主要原因，其會造成黏膜上皮萎縮與過量的膠原蛋白堆積在結締組織層中。檳榔素是檳榔中含量最多的植物鹼，其亦被認為與口腔黏膜下纖維化關係密切，以往有關此類研究多從膠原蛋白著手，鮮少有研究探討檳榔成分對細胞骨架蛋白的影響。本研究以組織培養法，培養人類頰黏膜纖維母細胞探討檳榔素對其細胞骨架蛋白的影響，結果發現檳榔素會提高57KDa蛋白的表現，此一現象隨著藥物計量增加而升高，在arecoline 100μg/ml時約為對照組的15倍左右，且與從口腔黏膜下纖維化培養出的纖維母細胞有相同劑量的57KDa蛋白表現，經由西方墨點法發現此一57KDa蛋白為Vimentin，另外從病理切片以免疫組織化學染色法亦發現Vimentin在纖維化較正常組織有明顯的表現。從本研究結果發現此一57KDa細胞骨架蛋白Vimentin的表現，可能與正常黏膜轉變成黏膜下纖維化關係密切。
Areca quid chewing has a strong correlation with oral submucous fibrosis in Taiwan. The cytotoxicity of arecoline, a major areca nut alkaloid, on human oral fibroblasts has been extensively studied. To date there has been little research into the possible effects of arecoline on cytoskeleton components. In this study, in addition to cytotoxicity assay, we especially pay attention to the effect of arecoline on vimentin, an intermediate filament, expression of human buccal mucosal fibroblasts exposure to various levels of arecoline (0 to 200μg/ml) for 48 hour. At a concentration higher than 50μg/ml, arecoline was cytotoxic to cultured fibroblasts and the cytotoxicity was dose-dependent (p<0.05). From the result of SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, arecoline was found to elevate 57 KDa cytoskeletal protein level in a dose-dependent manner. By immunoblotting assay, evidence indicated this 57 KDa cytoskeletal protein was vimentin. The increased of vimentin with arecoline was correspondent to that obtained in fibroblasts cultured from oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) patients. Immunohistochemical assay also revealed that vimentin expression was much higher in OSF specimen than in normal buccal mucosa. These results probably advance our understanding the possible pathogenesis how normal buccal mucosa transform to submucous fibrosis because of areca quid chewing.
