Autoantibodies to desmogleins 1 and 3 in patients with lichen planus

Pathogenic relevance of antibodies against desmoglein 3 in patients with oral lichen planus

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a T cell driven disorder that significantly impairs patients' quality of life. Previous reports suggest that both cellular and humoral activities against desmoglein (dsg) 1 and 3 may be involved in OLP pathogenesis. Here, we aim to analyze the frequency of occurrence and pathological significance of anti-dsg antibodies in a large cohort of OLP patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

OLP patients were screened for anti-dsg antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in three tertiary referral centers. OLP sera with anti-dsg antibodies were further analyzed by Western blot and dispase-based keratinocyte dissociation assay (DDA) to identify the targeted dsg ectodomains and to assess their pathogenicity.

RESULTS

Of 151-screened individuals with OLP, only four patients (2.6%) with erosive OLP showed serum IgG against dsg1/3. Western blot analysis with recombinant dsg3 ectodomains revealed preferential recognition of the extracellular domain 5. By DDA with spontaneously immortalized human keratinocytes, none of the sera from these four patients induced acantholysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Activation of humoral immunity occurs prevalently in patients with erosive OLP, probably due to epitope spreading. OLP serum antibodies are unable to induce loss of intercellular adhesion in vitro, strongly suggesting that they are not disease causing but rather an epiphenomenon.

The potential roles of Th17 cells in the pathogenesis of oral lichen planus

BACKGROUND

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a T cell-mediated chronic autoimmune disease, whose pathogenesis and etiology are not entirely understood. OLP is characterized by subepithelial lymphocyte infiltration and elevated intra-epithelial lymphocytes. The majority of lamina propria lymphocytes are CD4⁺ T cells. CD4⁺ helper T (Th) cells play a crucial role in activating CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) through interactions and cytokine production. Th1 and Th2 cells are well-accepted to be associated with OLP pathogenesis. However, OLP treatment is challenging yet, the more information we have about the pathology of OLP, the easier it will be treated. With the discovery of Th17 cells in recent years and the demonstration of their role in autoimmune disease, many researchers started to investigate the role of Th17 in the pathogenesis of OLP.

METHODS

To make up this review, studies covering the role of TH17 in different types of lichen planus were selected from major databases.

RESULTS

As we review in this article, Th17 cells and their signature cytokines play an important role in OLP pathogenesis. As well, utilizing some anti-IL-17 antibodies showed promising results in improving the disease; however, more studies are still needed to better understand and treat OLP.

Detection of anti-desmoglein antibodies in oral lichen planus: What do we know so far

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is an inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa. Clinically, two main subsets are described, namely non-erosive and erosive OLP. While non-erosive OLP is usually responsive to local therapies, erosive OLP is often refractory also to systemic therapies and extremely reduces the quality of life of the patients. Furthermore, in some erosive OLP cases different autoantibodies have been detected, including anti-desmoglein 1 and 3 autoantibodies, and anti-bullous pemphigoid 180 and 230 autoantibodies. However, their potential role is still not clear. In this paper, we reviewed the literature about the detection of autoantibodies against desmoglein 1 and 3, the main target antigens of pemphigus vulgaris, in patient with OLP, summarizing the more recent insights on this topic.

Coexistence of periorbital lichen planus pigmentosus and pemphigus vulgaris: Report of an unusual case and a rare association

Lichen planus pigmentosus is a rare variant of lichen planus with different patterns and manifestations. The coexistence of LPP and PV suggests that there might be a relationship between these two conditions in terms of immunologic mechanisms.

Pattern-Specific Loss of Desmoplakin I and II Immunoreactivity in Erythema Multiforme and its Variants: A Possible Aid in Histologic Diagnosis

Erythema multiforme (EM), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) comprise a family of mucocutaneous diseases associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have confirmed the presence of autoantibodies to desmoplakin (Dp) I and II in patients with EM, SJS, and TEN. Truncated Dp production leads to characteristic changes visible on light microscopy: perinuclear clumping of keratin filaments and dyskeratotic keratinocyte. Based on these observations, the question arises as to whether a loss of Dp immunoreactivity in skin biopsies could serve as a diagnostic marker of EM, SJS, and TEN. This study analyzed Dp immunostaining patterns in 20 patients with EM or SJS/TEN. To assess the specificity of this approach, Dp immunostaining was also performed on specimens from patients with 5 potential histologic mimics of EM, SJS, and TEN. All of the samples from patients with EM, SJS, and TEN demonstrated absent or markedly diminished staining for Dp. A χ test demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the staining patterns in EM, SJS, and TEN and each of the other diagnostic groups that were investigated. This is the first report demonstrating statistically significant specificity of Dp staining patterns in EM/SJS/TEN as compared with other interface dermatitides.