MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION OF ORAL LICHEN-PLANUS BY CANDIDA-ALBICANS

The present study evaluates the relationship between Candida albicans infection and the production of carcinogenetic substances (benzylmethylnitrosamine) in 52 patients with histologic and clinic diagnosis of Oral Lichen Planus. Under experimental conditions and starting from precursor substances some Candida albicans strains are able to form nitrosamines. The precursors are normally found in human saliva and arise from dietary sources: benzylmethylamine (BMA) in fish, coffee, and vegetables; nitrate especially in lettuce and red radish. About 20% of these nitrates are reduced to nitrites by the oral flora. in our study yeasts were isolated in more than 50% of the patients (51.9%) with oral lichen planus. A high capacity of nitrosation was ascertained in 5 patients examined under experimental conditions at pH 6.8.