Cellular immunosuppression in oral lichen planus.
Functions of peripheral blood lymphocytes and neutrophils from 30 oral lichen planus (OLP) patients were examined using healthy persons as controls. Two-color flow cytometry of lymphocytes revealed no proportional difference in CD3 or CD4 cells between OLP and controls. CD8CD11b (suppressor T) and CD3HLA-DR+ cell populations increased significantly in OLP when compared with controls, and CD4/CD8 cell ratio decreased in OLP. Mitogenic response of patients' CD8 and CD4Leu8- cells was similar to that in controls. However, weaker blastogenesis of CD4Leu8+ cells, the most excellent responders in T cell subsets, was observed in OLP. Serum IFN beta level in OLP (8.4 +/- 4.8 IU/ml) was significantly lower than in controls (13.7 +/- 5.0 IU/ml) whereas no difference between the two groups could be found in IFN alpha or gamma. As for in vitro cytokine production by IL-2-stimulated lymphocytes, there was no difference in GM-CSF generation between the two groups, but, IFN gamma and IL1 beta production of patients' lymphocytes was less than that in healthy donors (57.6 +/- 50.7 VS 78.7 +/- 39.6 u/ml, 152.3 +/- 93.5 VS 258.7 +/- 65.4 pg/ml, respectively). Moreover, superoxide generation of patients' neutrophils by PMA stimulation was significantly insufficient as compared with controls' (84.9 +/- 30.9 VS 110.8 +/- 24.1 pmol/min/10(4) cells). Nevertheless, natural killer cell activities of both groups distributed in the same range. These results suggest that OLP patients' lymphocyte and neutrophil functions are impaired, and that cellular immunosuppression is a pathologic characteristic of OLP.
Yamamoto
T
T
Department of Oral Surgery, Kochi Medical School, Japan.
Yoneda
K
K
Ueta
E
E
Osaki
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis; D007372:Interferons / Q000097:blood; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008010:Lichen Planus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
D007376:Interleukin-2; D013481:Superoxides; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D007372:Interferons