title: Heat shock protein expression in oral lichen planus.
abstract: To assess the potential role of heat shock protein (HSP) in the pathogenesis of oral lichen planus (OLP), sections of OLP, normal oral mucosa, non-specific oral ulceration (NSOU) and dysplastic OLP were assessed for HSP expression using avidin-biotin complex immunohistochemistry with an anti-HSP 70 polyclonal antibody. There were statistically significant differences in both the vertical and horizontal staining distribution when other groups were compared with the OLP group (p < 0.01). Using microdensitometry, the mean staining intensity in OLP, dysplastic OLP and NSOU was elevated in comparison with normal oral mucosa (p < 0.001). In a standard tritiated thymidine uptake assay, lymphocytes extracted from nine OLP lesions demonstrated significant proliferation when stimulated with purified protein derivative (PPD), of which HSP is a major constituent, with stimulation indices ranging from 2 to 132. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that, in OLP patients, diverse exogenous agents may cause upregulated expression of HSP by oral mucosal keratinocytes. A reaction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes to these activated keratinocytes may then result in the tissue destruction which is characteristic of OLP lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Sugerman
authors.forename: N W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Savage
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Seymour
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003720:Densitometry; D005260:Female; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D017676:Lichen Planus, Oral / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins