PECAM-1 overexpression signifies aggressive biologic behavior of oral lichen planus - A pilot study.

CONTEXT

The etiopathogenesis of oral lichen planus (OLP) is still debatable. According to literature, many studies have illustrated OLP as a T-cell-mediated chronic autoimmune disease. Currently, there is increased evidence of chronic inflammation in OLP and its association with vascular adhesion molecules (VAMs).

AIM

The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of VAM (PECAM-1) in OLP.

SETTING AND DESIGN

Tissue samples involved 20 archival cases of histopathologically confirmed OLP (n = 15) and normal mucosa (n = 5) as controls.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The sections were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis using antibody to PECAM-1. Brown staining of the endothelial cells of blood vessels was considered positive. The expression of PECAM-1 in OLP was statistically analyzed using Wilcoxon sign-rank test.

RESULTS

The expression of PECAM-1 in OLP was statistically significant when compared with normal mucosa (P < 0.05). A statistically significant difference was also observed in PECAM-1 expression between the reticular type and erosive type of OLP.

CONCLUSION

PECAM-1 was found to be overexpressed in OLP; difference in PECAM-1 expression was noted between the reticular and erosive types. The VAMs could be exploited as a possible therapeutic target in OLP to modulate the disease process thereby reducing the dependency on corticosteroids.