Salivary epidermal growth factor levels in Behçet's disease and recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor (EGF) in saliva is cytoprotective against injuries and contributes to the maintenance of the integrity of the gastrointestinal mucosa. Low salivary EGF levels have been observed in patients with various forms of oral mucosal disease.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to determine whether salivary EGF is low in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) or those with Behçet's disease (BD) when compared with healthy controls.

METHODS: The study population consisted of 33 BD and 16 RAS patients and 60 healthy controls. Measurement of EGF concentration in human saliva was performed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using an antibody-coated solid phase.

RESULTS: The mean salivary EGF levels (+/-SD) of active (with oral ulceration) and inactive stages (absence of oral ulceration) of BD (1,939.7 +/- 1,561.5 and 2,305.7 +/- 1,481.6 pg/ml, respectively) and RAS patients (1,650.5 +/- 704.7 and 1,069.9 +/- 539.2 pg/ml, respectively) were both lower than those of the healthy controls (2,758.7 +/- 1,657.9 pg/ml) (p < 0.05 for each).

CONCLUSIONS: BD and RAS patients have reduced salivary EGF levels even in the absence of oral ulcerations. EGF could be involved in the pathogenesis of BD and RAS by disturbing the mucosal integrity that may result in a susceptibility to the development of oral ulcers in these diseases.