Hypoxia Inducible Factor-2α in Oral Biology Research: A Narrative Review

Hypoxia, characterized by low oxygen tension, is frequently observed in various stressed tissues, including tumors, wounds, and inflammatory lesions. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), such as HIF-1α and HIF-2α, heterodimerize with a beta subunit (ARNT) to initiate the transcription of various genes, including VEGF, erythropoietin, and glycolytic enzymes, which are essential for cellular survival, adaptation, and angiogenesis promotion. HIF-2α exhibits both overlapping and unique functions in comparison to HIF-1α, influenced by cell type, oxygen levels (moderate versus severe hypoxia), and contextual factors (chronic versus acute hypoxia). On PubMed and Google Scholar, the scholarly literature on the subject of Hypoxia inducible factor 2α in Oral Biology research was analyzed. Articles that discussed or looked into the effects of Hypoxia inducible factor 2α in Oral biology on dentistry were looked for in search results. The cited papers from the journals were also evaluated for relevance and included if they met the requirements for inclusion. One of the requirements for admittance was having access to the entire material.

Conclusion: HIF-2α is definitely expressed in oral SCC and premalignant oral lesions, correlates with tumor features like stage, angiogenesis. Functionally, HIF-2α contributes to OSCC progression, especially via angiogenesis, and may be more predictive in certain hypoxia conditions. But in oral biology outside of cancer, and in temporal and mechanistic depth, HIF-2α remains under-explored.