• Update of the cancer-associated molecular mechanisms in oral lichen planu
  • Maryam Rasouli,1 Sara Amiri,2 Sara Daliri,3 Fereshteh Gholami,4,*
    1. Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
    2. Department of Biology, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran.
    3. Department of Cell & Molecular Biology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
    4. Student Research Committee, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran


  • Introduction: Lichen planus (LP) is a common chronic inflammatory disease that can affect the skin and mucous membranes, including the oral mucosa.The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined OLP as a potentially malignant disorder that represents a general condition with a significant increase. This disease affects 0.5 to 2.2% of the population and is more common in women than men. Although the usual age of presentation is 30 to 60 years, it is more common in middle-aged women and young men. In children, OLP is uncommon and usually presents with skin disease, and only 17% of patients with OLP recover completely, but recovery has been reported in 39%. Various risk factors have been implicated, such as smoking, immunosuppressive agents, chronic inflammation, certain viruses, accumulation of genetic mutations, and a diet low in vegetables and fresh fruits.This disorder is further considered as a multifactorial process with various stimuli including mechanical, electrochemical and since OLP is an immune-related disorder, stress and anxiety and other related factors. The immune system can be one of the causes of this disease.But the exact cause of OLP has not yet been discovered, and unfortunately, reliable results cannot be obtained from clinical studies of OLP, and this is not due to the lack of other studies, but due to the lack of an accepted standard in diagnosis.The aim of this study is to investigate the molecular mechanism related to cancer in oral lichen planus.
  • Methods: In this review article, the required data was collected by using keywords, referring to reliable databases such as ProQuest, Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar. Our statistical population consists of all studies conducted until 2022.
  • Results: Considers have appeared that OLP happens through specific and non-specific antigenic mechanisms. In antigen-specific mechanisms, antigen-based keratinocytes and antigen-specific keratinocytes are destroyed by CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes. In non-specific mechanisms,mast cells are granulated and matrix metalloproteinases are activated in OLP lesions. Epidemiological distribution of lesions is different in each geographical region . Identification of new non-invasive biomarkers is a rapid way to detect disease in early stages. Antioxidant supplements such as vitamin C and E have a good effect in preventing this type of cancer. Using string software, a method was designed to identify genes related to diseases and disease interactions, which showed that CDKN1A and p53 interact with OLP. According to immunohistochemical studies, higher bcl2 expression in OLP-associated lymphocytes serves as a suspicious marker.Disruption in the G1 phase of the cell cycle creates a high potential in the development of OLP malignancy. The increased expression of NF kappaB in OLP is related to the level of inflammation and cytotoxicity.Also, MMPS in OLP is associated with the basal zone disorder process and keratinocyte death and T cell migration.
  • Conclusion: Many researches have been done in the field of pathology and treatment of OLP. Within the show consider, we attempted to outline both pathologic and restorative accomplishments in this issue with respect to the noteworthiness of biomarkers for OLP determination, OLP connection with other illnesses,and more successful medications on OLP. It has moreover been suggested to screen, within the spit of OLP patients,the NF kappaB-related cytokines TNF-a, IL-1,IL-6 and IL-8, as markers of illness seriousness and possible harmful change.
  • Keywords: Lichen Planus, Neoplasms, Molecular mechanisms