Differential genotypes of TNF-α and IL-10 for immunological diagnosis in discoid lupus erythematosus and oral lichen planus: A narrative review

A Decadal Bibliometric Analysis on the Therapeutic Strategies in Oral Lichen Planus

Background and Aims

Oral Lichen Planus (OLP) is a common chronic inflammatory autoimmune illness that mostly affects the oral mucosa but may also affect other mucous membrane. It has higher prevalence in female patients of fourth to sixth decade of life with reticular being the commonest clinical variant. Clinical assessment, patient history, biopsy findings, and immunofluorescence were used to diagnose OLP. This study aimed to assess research publication trends in therapeutic strategies in the treatment of OLP, examining publication growth, country and institution contributions, and collaborative networks.

Methods

Using the Dimensions and Lens.org databases with Boolean operators combined the keywords a total of 40,046 peer-reviewed international publications were initially assessed. The article was selected from 2014 to December 2023. Through rigorous application of inclusion and exclusion criteria using an advanced search, a subset of 134 papers emerged to meet the high relevance standards. This subset, constituting a representative sample, was selected for in-depth bibliometric analysis.

Results and Conclusion

The result shows a clear upward trend in the number of publications, with a notable increase in 2018. After 2018, there is decrease in the number of publications, but it has an upward trend, reaching a peak of 215 in 2022. Chaitanya Nallan CSK leads the list of authors with four publications and a respectable total citation count of 12. Cairo University is the leading institution in this data set, with the 8 number of publications and 11 citations. The analysis revealed that at the top of the list is the "Egyptian Dental Journal" from Egypt, with six publications, four citations, and a link strength of two. In the second position is "BMC Oral Health" from the United Kingdom, with five publications, one citation, and a link strength of three. This study offers valuable insights for future research, clinical practice, and policy decisions.

Cytokine polymorphisms in patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is due to autoantibodies with or without complement activation and involves cellular and cytokine dysregulation. Here, we investigated cytokine single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TNF-α, TGF-β1, IL-10, IL-6, and IFN-γ, along with their serum levels. The former were related to hematological parameters, therapy, and clinical outcome. The study included 123 consecutive patients with primary AIHA [77 warm AIHA and 46 cold agglutinin disease (CAD)], followed up for a median of 49 months. Results show that the allelic frequency of TNF-α -308 G/A polymorphisms was significantly lower in patients versus controls. Moreover, the genotypic frequency of TNF-α -308G/A and TGF-β gene codon 25 G/C genotypes was significantly lower in patients versus controls. Considering cytokine SNP genotypes associated with different gene expression levels, TNF-α high gene expression was significantly more frequent in patients, TGF-β and IL-10 high gene expression was higher in patients with more severe anemia, and TGF-β high gene expression was higher in patients with active disease. Considering treatment, TNF-α and TGF-β high gene expression was more frequent in multitreated patients and particularly in CAD. It may be speculated that this genetic predisposition to a stronger inflammatory response may result in a greater immune dysregulation and in a relapsed/refractory disease. Regarding cytokine serum levels, TNF-α and TGF-β were significantly lower, and IL-10 and IL-6 were significantly higher in patients versus controls, underlying the complex interplay between genetic background and disease features.

Application of thermosensitive-hydrogel combined with dental pulp stem cells on the injured fallopian tube mucosa in an animal model

Objectives: Fallopian tube (FT) injury is an important factor that can lead to tubal infertility. Stem-cell-based therapy shows great potential for the treatment of injured fallopian tube. However, little research has shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be used to treat fallopian tube damage by in situ injection. In this study, we in situ transplanted PF127 hydrogel encapsulating dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) into the injured sites to promote the repair and regeneration of fallopian tube injury. Materials and methods: The properties of dental pulp stem cells were evaluated by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence analysis, and multi-differentiation detection. The immunomodulatory and angiogenic characteristics of dental pulp stem cells were analyzed on the basis of the detection of inflammatory factor expression and the formation of capillary-like structures, respectively. The biocompatibility of PF127 hydrogel was evaluated by using Live/Dead and CCK-8 assays. The effects of PF127 hydrogel containing dental pulp stem cells on the repair and regeneration of fallopian tube injury were evaluated by histological analysis [e.g., hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson's trichrome staining, TUNEL staining, immunofluorescence staining, and immunohistochemistry], Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and RT-PCR detections. Results: Dental pulp stem cells had MSC-like characteristics and great immunomodulatory and angiogenic properties. PF127 hydrogel had a thermosensitive feature and great cytocompatibility with dental pulp stem cells. In addition, our results indicated that PF127 hydrogel containing dental pulp stem cells could promote the repair and regeneration of fallopian tube damage by inhibiting cell apoptosis, stimulating the secretion of angiogenic factors, promoting cell proliferation, modulating the secretion of inflammatory factors, and restoring the secretion of epithelial cells. Conclusion: In this study, our results reported that in situ injection of PF127 hydrogel encapsulating dental pulp stem cells into the injured sites could provide an attractive strategy for the future treatment of fallopian tube injury in clinical settings.

SDHB reduction promotes oral lichen planus by impairing mitochondrial respiratory function

Background

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a type of chronic inflammatory disorder, which represents a potential risk of malignant transformation. Understanding the mechanism of OLP-related malignant transformation could reduce the risk of cancer. Accumulating evidence indicates that the expression of succinate dehydrogenase enzyme B (SDHB) is associated with the carcinogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the function and underlying mechanism of SDHB in OLP remains unknown.

Methods

In this study, we examined the expression of SDHB in tissues from OLP patients and normal oral mucosa (NOM) through immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and western blot (WB). Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) assay, reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) assay, and glucose uptake assay were used to explore the function of SDHB in mitochondrial injury and bioenergetic changes in OLP cell model and SDHB-overexpressing cells.

Results

In current study, we found that the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of SDHB was significantly decreased in OLP patients, accompanied by the accumulation of succinate. In the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or CoCl₂-stimulated OLP cell model, the expression of SDHB was decreased along with treatment time and concentration. Mechanistically, decreased SDHB enhanced hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α activity, induced mitochondrial injury, bioenergetic changes, and cytokine release. Overexpression of SDHB could reverse the above biological process and switch bioenergetic metabolism during OLP process.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that SDHB reduction promotes OLP by impairing mitochondrial respiratory function.