An Early Lesion of Oral Lichen Planus

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A 20-year-old male had an early oral lichen planus (OLP) of only 5 days duration. The lesion showing a papular pattern of OLP was found in the bilateral buccal mucosae and gingivae. The histological findings were consistent with the histological criteria of OLP in accordance with the WHO standards. The lesion had rapidly developed up to 1 week, and then remitted naturally in the following 2 weeks. Immunohistological analysis revealed interesting findings which differ from those of chronic OLP lesions. First, γ/δ+T lymphocytes and NK cells were detectable in the subepithelial tissue of early OLP, suggesting that these findings may be due to cell damage by viral infection, trauma, or stress. The role of these subsets in OLP remains obscure, but possibly these cells may play a critical role in the initiation and/or early phase of OLP. Second, CD25+ and CD69+ lymphocytes were predominantly located in close proximity to the epithelium, and the enhancement of HLA-DR, ICAM-1, and CD69 expression was also evident in early OLP. The increase of activation molecule expression suggested that the interactive activation of T lymphocytes and epithelium is a key event in the evolutionary stage of OLP.
日本口腔内科学会の論文