BASEMENT MEMBRANE: THE SILENT SENTINEL OF ORAL HEALTH

Abstract

The basement membrane (BM) is a thin layer of intercellular material with a complicated composition that lies between the epithelium and the connective tissue. In general, their sheet-like protein matrices are used to separate epithelial or endothelial cell layers from beneath mesenchymal tissues, serving as a hub to encourage and control interactions between cells, between cells and proteins, as well as providing biophysical support for the tissue above. In the latter case, BM is becoming increasingly well acknowledged as a mediator of growth factor interactions throughout development. Basement membranes are extracellular matrix specializations that play a crucial role in disease development. Certain staining methods can be seen under a light microscope, although routine H&E staining does not reveal a distinct membrane. Despite of basement membrane its importance, there is a lack of easily available literature that provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the art on its composition and pathological guiding techniques such as identifying autoimmune illnesses, evaluating tumоur invasion, and distinguishing benign from malignant lesions.