Imbalance of Th1/Th2 cytokine ratio in oral lichen planus

Objective:To observe the expression of transcription factor of Th1,Th2 type cells and Th1,Th2 cytokines in peripheral blood in oral lichen planus(OLP) to further understand the pathogenesis of OLP.Methods:The expression of T-bet mRNA,GAIA-3 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cell(PBMC) was investigated in erythematous/erosive OLP(20 cases),reticular OLP(16 cases) and normal controls(19 cases) using RT-PCR methods;and IFN-γ(typical Th1 cytokine),IL-4(typical Th2 cytokine)in serum was shown by ELISA.Results:RT-PCR results showed that expression of T-bet mRNA decreased in erythematous/erosive OLP and reticular OLP(P0.01);In contrast,expression of GATA-3 mRNA was higher in erythematous/erosive OLP and reticular OLP than in controls(P0.01).ELISA assay indicated that erythematous/erosive and reticular OLP patients had a higher expression level of IL-4 protein and lower expression level of IFN-γ protein in serum than normal controls(P0.01).Moreover,there were significant differences between erythematous/erosive and reticular groups in the expression of T-bet mRNA and GATA-3 mRNA(P0.01).But there were no significant differences between erythematous/erosive and reticular groups in the expression of IFN-γ and IL-4(P0.05).Conclusions:The data accumulated here strongly indicate that imbalance of Th1/Th2 was involved in the pathogenesis of OLP,and provide new ideas for clinical treatment of OLP.