Figure 1

Immunohistochemical staining of Notch1 and its intracytoplasmic domain (NICD) in normal, dysplastic and cancerous tissues of oral mucosa. (a) Representative hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining photomicrographs in: normal (A), dysplastic (B) and cancerous tissues (C) of oral mucosa. Original magnification, × 100. Scale bar=100 μm. (D–F) Representative immunohistochemical stainings of Notch1 at each pathological stage in high-power fields. Tissues were immunohistochemically stained using an antibody to Notch1. The membranous immunoreactions (brown) were regarded as positive for Notch1. Original magnification, × 400. Scale bar=20 μm. (G–I) Representative immunohistochemical stainings of NICD at each clinical stage in high-power fields. Tissues were immunohistochemically stained using an antibody to NICD. The nuclear immunoreactions (brown dots) were regarded as positive for NICD. Original magnification, × 400. Scale bar=20 μm. (b) (A) Graphs of Notch1 immunostaining scores. Immunostaining scores obtained from each pathological group were calculated and statistically analyzed. The mean Notch1 immunostaining score was the highest in the oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) group. The Y axis shows the mean values of the Notch1 immunostaining scores. (B) Graphs of NICD immunostaining scores. Immunostaining scores obtained from each pathological group were calculated and statistically analyzed. The mean NICD immunostaining score was the highest in the OSCC group. The Y axis shows the mean values of the NICD immunostaining scores. NS, no significance; *P<0.05; **P<0.01, analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the Bonferroni/Dunn test.