Phenotypic and functional analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes in oral lichen planus

To assess cellular immunity in oral lichen planus (OLP), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained from 19 OLP patients and 30 control subjects. The proportions of circulating CD45RA+ and CD29+ lymphocyte subsets were determined. The proliferative activity of PBMC to the non-specific plant mitogens phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (Con A) was examined together with the spontaneous proliferative response and the response in the autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (AMLR). In the OLP group, the proportion of CD4+ CD45RA+ T lymphocytes was significantly less than control subjects and the proportion of CD4+ CD29+ T lymphocytes was increased significantly. The proliferative response to PHA was similar in OLP and controls subjects. Con A-stimulated PBMC proliferation was decreased significantly in the OLP group. Spontaneous PBMC proliferation in patients with non-reticular lesions was significantly less than control subjects. Despite a mildly depressed response in the AMLR in OLP patients, this result was not statistically significant. Results of the phenotypic analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes indicate a decreased proportion of naive T cells and an increased proportion of primed memory T cells, although the antigen specificity of these memory cells remains to be determined. Results of the functional assays would seem to reflect this phenotypic shift, and as T cells responding to Con A stimulation and in the AMLR possess suppressor-inducer activity, these results may also suggest an association between OLP and defective innate T cell-mediated suppressor circuits.