[The expression pattern of adhesion molecules in PUVA treated lichen planus patients]

Biopsy specimens of involved and uninvolved skin were studied in four patients suffering from generalized lichen planus (LP) before and after successful oral PUVA treatment with murine monoclonal antibodies against several cellular adhesion molecules. In contrast to untreated LP lesions, in biopsies obtained after PUVA therapy from healed involved skin we found markedly diminished to completely absent expression of CD54(ICAM-1), HLA-DR, CD11a/18(LFA-1) and CD49f(VLA-6) on keratinocytes and an effective loss of CD49a(VLA-1)-, CD49c(VLA-3)-, CD49d(VLA-4)-, CD49f(VLA-6)-, CD3- and CD8-positive infiltrating cells. Our data demonstrate the influence of PUVA on cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion in patients with LP.