Apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in oral lichen planus

The quantitative importance of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis mechanisms in oral lichen planus (OLP) was analysed in order to assess the cell response to T lymphocyte aggression and establish a hypothesis on the influence of these phenomena in the malignant transformation process. The TUNEL assay and immunohistochemical methods were used to detect caspase-3, bax, and p21 in 32 tissue samples of oral mucosa with OLP and in 20 samples of normal oral mucosa. Positivity for TUNEL, caspase-3 and p21 was significantly more frequent in cases than in controls (p < 0.001). Both TUNEL and caspase-3 positivity was significantly greater in the basal versus suprabasal layer (p = 0.004 and 0.052, respectively). The basal and suprabasal expression of p21 was significantly higher in cases with a more intense liquefaction degeneration (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in basal expression of bax between cases and controls. The quantitative importance of apoptosis was small in OLP. Epithelial cells attacked in OLP have a very low response to apoptosis and cell cycle arrest mechanisms, which may produce an epithelial substrate that favours malignant transformation.