P27 expression in normal epithelium and condylomas of the vulva in HIV positive and negative women.

PURPOSE: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the expression of the p27 protein in the normal epithelium and vulvar condylomas in human immunodeficiency (HIV) positive and negative patients. METHODS: Eight samples of normal vulvar epithelium were evaluated (Group A), ten of the HIV negative vulvar condyloma patients (Group B) and another eight of the vulvar condyloma HIV positive patients (Group C). The DNA of human papillomavirus (HPV) was identified by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Immunohistochemistry was the method used to evaluate the expression of p27 using monoclonal mouse antibody (Monoclonal Mouse, anti-human p27, Clone Sx 53 G8). The immunoexpression was evaluated at a magnification of 400x, counting a minimum of 1,000 cells per slide. RESULTS: The results obtained were the following: a) comparing groups A and B and groups A and C there was a significant difference in relation to the expression of the p27 protein which was 63.32% in group A and only 13.35% and 18.89% in groups B and C, respectively; b) comparing groups B and C among them, there was no significant difference. CONCLUSION: We concluded that in normal vulvar tissue the p27 protein is present in a large number of cells and that in vulval condylomas its expression is very much lowered both in HIV positive and negative cases.