Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology
Angiogenesis of Oral Lichen Planus: An Immunohistochemical Study
Section snippets
Objective
Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a relatively common disease and considered to be a chronic inflammatory disease with an autoimmune pathogenesis. Angiogenesis plays an important role in both physiological and pathologic conditions, including chronic inflammatory disorders. The aim of this immunohistochemical study was to investigate the role of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis of OLP.
Study Design
40 cases of OLP and 20 cases of normal oral mucosa were included in the study. The sections were immunostained for CD31 and CD34 antibodies and the microvessel density (MVD) was counted in ten selected areas of high inflammatory. The mean value represented the final MVD.
Results
The MVD was significantly higher in OLP than normal mucosa (p<0.05). The number of the microvessels increased particularly in the inflammatory infiltrate areas and epithelium-connective tissue interface in comparison with deep connective tissue.
Conclusions
Anti-angiogenic therapy might be a possible therapeutic target for patients with OLP, especially showing poor response to immunosuppressive agents.
Keywords
angiogenesis, lichen planus, microvessel density, oral squamous cell carcinoma