Heat shock protein expression in oral lichen planus |
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Authors: | P. B. Sugerman N. W. Savage L. J. Xu L. J. Walsh G. J. Seymour |
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Affiliation: | Immunopathology Unit, Division of Oral Biology and Pathology, Department of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia |
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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 agenst 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. |
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Keywords: | heat shock protein immunohistochemistry oral lichen planus |
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