Altered expression of interleukin-17A and its targeting microRNAs in oral lichen planus: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the potential role of interleukin (IL)-17A and its targeting microRNAs (miRNAs) in oral lichen planus (OLP).

STUDY DESIGN

We compared the IL-17A expression levels in biopsies from patients with OLP (n = 50) against normal controls (n = 19) by using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot analyses, identified the targeting miRNAs of IL-17A, and examined the miRNA expression levels in OLP.

RESULTS

IL-17A expression was significantly increased in patients with OLP compared with controls. The dual-luciferase reporter assay system demonstrated that miR-635 and miR-578 were the target miRNAs of IL-17A in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, which was consistent with predictions from bioinformatics software analyses. In contrast with IL-17A, the expression levels of miR-635 and miR-578 in OLP were significantly decreased compared with controls.

CONCLUSIONS

This pilot study found that low levels of miR-635 and miR-578 expression were associated with high expression of IL-17A, suggesting that IL-17A and its targeting miRNAs contribute to the pathogenesis of OLP.