Differences in the landscape of colonized microorganisms in different oral potentially malignant disorders and squamous cell carcinoma: a multi-group comparative study

Abstract

Abstract Background The role of microbes in diseases, especially cancer, has garnered significant attention. However, research on the oral microbiota in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) remains limited. Our study investigates microbial communities in OPMDs. Materials and methods Oral biopsies from19 oral leukoplakia (OLK) patients, 19 proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) patients, 19 oral lichen planus (OLP) patients, and 19 oral lichenoid lesions (OLL) patients were obtained. 15 SCC specimens were also collected from PVL patients. Healthy individuals served as controls, and DNA was extracted from their paraffin-embedded tissues. 2bRAD-M sequencing generated taxonomic profiles. Alpha and beta diversity analyses, along with Linear Discriminant Analysis effect size analysis, were conducted. Results Our results showed the microbial richness and diversity were significantly different among groups, with PVL-SCC resembling controls, while OLK exhibited the highest richness. Each disease group displayed unique microbial compositions, with distinct dominant bacterial species. Noteworthy alterations during PVL-SCC progression included a decline in Fusobacterium periodonticum and an elevation in Prevotella oris. Conclusions Different disease groups exhibited distinct dominant bacterial species and microbial compositions. These findings offer promise in elucidating the underlying mechanisms of this disease.

Keywords

• Oral potential malignant disorders
• Microbes
• Oral leukoplakia
• Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia
• Oral lichen planus
• Oral lichenoid lesions