Estimation of salivary nitric oxide and uric acid levels in oral squamous cell carcinoma and healthy controls

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) being the most common head and neck cancer, involves the interplay of several free radicals and antioxidant molecules. The potential role of salivary nitric oxide ( NO) and uric acid in cancer development needs to be explored as there are a few studies highlighting their association with each other and with oral cancer. Aims: The present study was designed to measure the NO and uric acid levels in the saliva of patients with OSCC as compared with healthy controls and to highlight any possible correlations between them. Materials and Methods: The present study involved 50 subjects, 25 with OSCC (study) and 25 healthy individuals (controls). Saliva samples collected from patients were subjected to NO and uric acid analysis by griess method and uricase method, respectively. Statistical Analysis: The results were analyzed using Student's t-test and Pearson's Chi-square test. Results: A significant increase in the salivary levels of NO was seen in study subjects as compared to healthy controls. On the contrary, a significant decrease in salivary uric acid level was observed in the study group as compared to healthy controls. In addition, there exists an inverse correlation between NO and uric acid levels in study and control groups. Conclusion: Salivary levels of NO and uric acid may act as key bimolecular markers in the detection of oral cancer, which could be further confirmed by larger sample size and future studies.