Desmoglein-3 autoantibodies in tissues of oral lichen planus patients and its correlation with disease severity: case-control study

Abstract Background Due to the not fully understood exact pathogenesis of oral lichen planus, the patients receive symptomatic management, rather than a curative treatment. Consequently, revealing the pathogenesis of OLP is a primary concern in oral medicine research. Elevated levels of circulating...

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Main Authors: Doaa Abdelwadood, Yasmine Ahmed Fouad, Nashwa El-Khazragy, Ahmed Elsayed Hamed Amr
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-06-01
Series:BMC Oral Health
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-06303-9
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author Doaa Abdelwadood
Yasmine Ahmed Fouad
Nashwa El-Khazragy
Ahmed Elsayed Hamed Amr
author_facet Doaa Abdelwadood
Yasmine Ahmed Fouad
Nashwa El-Khazragy
Ahmed Elsayed Hamed Amr
author_sort Doaa Abdelwadood
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Due to the not fully understood exact pathogenesis of oral lichen planus, the patients receive symptomatic management, rather than a curative treatment. Consequently, revealing the pathogenesis of OLP is a primary concern in oral medicine research. Elevated levels of circulating antibodies against Desmoglein 3 have been discovered in the serum of OLP patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the level of Desmoglein 3 autoantibodies in tissue biopsies of atrophic/bullous erosive OLP and to correlate it with the disease severity, in attempt to reveal if it has a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Methods This is a case-control study, tissue biopsies were obtained from clinically and histopathologically diagnosed atrophic/bullous-erosive oral lichen planus (OLP) lesions (n = 10). The oral lichen planus biopsies were compared with healthy uninflamed gingival tissues excised during periodontal surgeries (n = 10). The tissue biopsies were tested for quantitative levels of desmoglein 3 autoantibodies using ELISA test. The clinical severity of oral lichen planus lesions was evaluated by Elsabagh scoring system. The levels of desmoglein 3 autoantibodies were correlated with the disease severity. Results The concentration of desmoglein 3 autoantibodies level in tissues of patients with atrophic/erosive OLP [3395.4 (± 526.9) Pg/g] was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in tissues of healthy controls [2329.7 (± 307.6) Pg/g]. The student’s t-test was used to compare between the two groups. Moreover, the concentration of desmoglein 3 autoantibodies showed a statistically significant positive correlation (ρ = 0.801) with OLP clinical severity scores (p = 0.005). Conclusions Desmoglein 3 autoantibodies were detected in higher concentrations in oral lichen planus tissues compared to healthy controls. Increased concentration of desmoglein 3 autoantibodies is correlated with an increase in oral lichen planus clinical severity scores and vice versa. So, further investigation is needed to discover the exact role of Dsg3 autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of OLP. Trial registration The study was registered on the Clinical Trial Registration Site (registration code: NCT06652477, last updated on 22-10-2024).
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series BMC Oral Health
spelling doaj-art-c1951feb2e0b43898294730900d84e3a2025-08-20T03:26:43ZengBMCBMC Oral Health1472-68312025-06-012511810.1186/s12903-025-06303-9Desmoglein-3 autoantibodies in tissues of oral lichen planus patients and its correlation with disease severity: case-control studyDoaa Abdelwadood0Yasmine Ahmed Fouad1Nashwa El-Khazragy2Ahmed Elsayed Hamed Amr3Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral Medicine, Periodontology, and Oral Diagnosis, Ain Shams UniversityAssociate Professor of Oral Medicine, Periodontology, and Oral Diagnosis, Faculty of Dentistry, Ain Shams UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Pathology-Hematology and Ain Shams Medical Research Institute (MASRI), Ain Shams UniversityAssociate Professor of Oral Medicine, Periodontology, and Oral Diagnosis, Faculty of Dentistry, Ain Shams UniversityAbstract Background Due to the not fully understood exact pathogenesis of oral lichen planus, the patients receive symptomatic management, rather than a curative treatment. Consequently, revealing the pathogenesis of OLP is a primary concern in oral medicine research. Elevated levels of circulating antibodies against Desmoglein 3 have been discovered in the serum of OLP patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the level of Desmoglein 3 autoantibodies in tissue biopsies of atrophic/bullous erosive OLP and to correlate it with the disease severity, in attempt to reveal if it has a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Methods This is a case-control study, tissue biopsies were obtained from clinically and histopathologically diagnosed atrophic/bullous-erosive oral lichen planus (OLP) lesions (n = 10). The oral lichen planus biopsies were compared with healthy uninflamed gingival tissues excised during periodontal surgeries (n = 10). The tissue biopsies were tested for quantitative levels of desmoglein 3 autoantibodies using ELISA test. The clinical severity of oral lichen planus lesions was evaluated by Elsabagh scoring system. The levels of desmoglein 3 autoantibodies were correlated with the disease severity. Results The concentration of desmoglein 3 autoantibodies level in tissues of patients with atrophic/erosive OLP [3395.4 (± 526.9) Pg/g] was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in tissues of healthy controls [2329.7 (± 307.6) Pg/g]. The student’s t-test was used to compare between the two groups. Moreover, the concentration of desmoglein 3 autoantibodies showed a statistically significant positive correlation (ρ = 0.801) with OLP clinical severity scores (p = 0.005). Conclusions Desmoglein 3 autoantibodies were detected in higher concentrations in oral lichen planus tissues compared to healthy controls. Increased concentration of desmoglein 3 autoantibodies is correlated with an increase in oral lichen planus clinical severity scores and vice versa. So, further investigation is needed to discover the exact role of Dsg3 autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of OLP. Trial registration The study was registered on the Clinical Trial Registration Site (registration code: NCT06652477, last updated on 22-10-2024).https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-06303-9Oral lichen planusDesmogleinsAutoantibodiesAtrophic\bullous erosive
spellingShingle Doaa Abdelwadood
Yasmine Ahmed Fouad
Nashwa El-Khazragy
Ahmed Elsayed Hamed Amr
Desmoglein-3 autoantibodies in tissues of oral lichen planus patients and its correlation with disease severity: case-control study
BMC Oral Health
Oral lichen planus
Desmogleins
Autoantibodies
Atrophic\bullous erosive
title Desmoglein-3 autoantibodies in tissues of oral lichen planus patients and its correlation with disease severity: case-control study
title_full Desmoglein-3 autoantibodies in tissues of oral lichen planus patients and its correlation with disease severity: case-control study
title_fullStr Desmoglein-3 autoantibodies in tissues of oral lichen planus patients and its correlation with disease severity: case-control study
title_full_unstemmed Desmoglein-3 autoantibodies in tissues of oral lichen planus patients and its correlation with disease severity: case-control study
title_short Desmoglein-3 autoantibodies in tissues of oral lichen planus patients and its correlation with disease severity: case-control study
title_sort desmoglein 3 autoantibodies in tissues of oral lichen planus patients and its correlation with disease severity case control study
topic Oral lichen planus
Desmogleins
Autoantibodies
Atrophic\bullous erosive
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-06303-9
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