Zhou Dong-Yang, Bao Chao-Fan, Zhou Gang
State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Department of Oral Medicine, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Front Immunol. 2025 May 8;16:1597088. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1597088. eCollection 2025.
As a distinctive subset of T cells, intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) are found in the epithelium of mucosal barrier and serve as the primary defenders of the intestinal mucosal immune system. IELs exhibit phenotypic and functional diversity with high expression of activated marker molecules, tissue-homing integrins, NK cell receptors, cytotoxic T cell-related molecules, and cytokines. Meanwhile, IELs demonstrate differentiation plasticity, antigen recognition diversity, self-reactivity, and rapid "memory" effect, which enable them to play a crucial role in regulating responses, maintaining mucosal barriers, promoting immune tolerance, and providing resistance to infections. In addition, IELs have been explored in autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, and cancers. However, the specific involvement and underlying mechanisms of IELs in oral diseases have not been systematically discussed.
A systematic literature review was conducted using the PubMed/MEDLINE databases to identify and analyze relevant literatures on the roles of IELs in oral diseases.
The literature review revealed the characteristics of IELs and emphasized the potential roles of IELs in the pathogenesis of oral lichen planus, oral cancers, periodontal diseases, graft-versus-host disease, and primary Sjogren's syndrome.
This review mainly focuses on the involvement of IELs in oral diseases, with a particular emphasis on the main functions and underlying mechanisms by which IELs influence the pathogenesis and progression of these conditions.
作为T细胞的一个独特亚群，上皮内淋巴细胞（IELs）存在于黏膜屏障的上皮中，是肠道黏膜免疫系统的主要防御者。IELs表现出表型和功能的多样性，具有活化标记分子、组织归巢整合素、自然杀伤细胞受体、细胞毒性T细胞相关分子和细胞因子的高表达。同时，IELs表现出分化可塑性、抗原识别多样性、自身反应性和快速“记忆”效应，这使它们在调节反应、维持黏膜屏障、促进免疫耐受和提供抗感染能力方面发挥关键作用。此外，IELs在自身免疫性疾病、炎症性疾病和癌症中也有研究。然而，IELs在口腔疾病中的具体参与情况和潜在机制尚未得到系统讨论。
使用PubMed/MEDLINE数据库进行系统的文献综述，以识别和分析关于IELs在口腔疾病中作用的相关文献。
文献综述揭示了IELs的特征，并强调了IELs在口腔扁平苔藓、口腔癌、牙周疾病、移植物抗宿主病和原发性干燥综合征发病机制中的潜在作用。
本综述主要关注IELs在口腔疾病中的参与情况，特别强调IELs影响这些疾病发病机制和进展的主要功能及潜在机制。
