Abstract
Background Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic autoimmune oral mucosal disease that seriously affects the life quality of the patients. But till now, the exact etiology and pathogenesis of OLP remain unclear. Our study is aimed at finding the key molecules and pathways involved in the pathogenesis mechanisms of OLP, providing more effective therapeutic strategies for OLP. Methods Data from GSE52130 were downloaded from GEO datasets for analysis. Then, we carried out enrichment analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analyses. Next, the CIBERSORT algorithm was used to assess immune cell infiltration in OLP patients. Furthermore, we also constructed a protein-protein interaction network using STRING and Cytoscape and simultaneously sought potential transcription factors plug-in including MCODE CytoHubba and iRegulon. In addition, ROC analysis was employed to assess the diagnostic performance of these hub genes. Lastly, we identified 6 promising novel drugs to treat OLP through Connectivity Map. Results We illustrated that 255 DEGs were mainly enriched in the focal adhesion pathway and metabolism pathways. Besides, Cibersort analysis showed that M1 macrophages, T follicular helper cells, and T regulatory cells are more infiltrated in OLP samples. In addition, ROC analysis demonstrated that these hub genes owned higher diagnostic value in OLP, in which SPRR1B had the highest diagnostic value. And we also predicted that SOX7 was the most relevant transcription factor of those hub genes. Lastly, through the CMap database, we identified 6 small molecules as possible treatment drugs of OLP. Conclusion Our research identified that SPRR1B could be used as potential biomarkers for the early diagnosis of OLP. In addition, as a chronic autoimmune oral mucosal disease, OLP has different infiltration types of immune cells. Furthermore, 6 small molecules were proposed as promising novel treatment drugs for OLP patients. Therefore, our research may provide new impetus for the development of effective OLP biological treatment options.
Highlights
Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic autoimmune oral mucosal disease affecting 1-2% population worldwide [1, 2] and is characterized by its recurrence and chronic protraction course
As OLP was an immune-driven disease and we identified some immune-related pathways including the IL-17 signaling pathway, dendritic cell maturation, chemokine signaling pathway, and cytokine receptor interaction, so we used the CIBERSORT algorithm to estimate the abundance of immune cells in OLP
The top 6 negatively correlated compounds had a relatively prominent function in reversing differential expression during OLP progression, and they were AG013608, Prestwick-857, harmalol, bumetanide, MK-886, and NU-1025. These findings suggested that these 6 small molecule compounds might be potential drugs for OLP patients
Summary
Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic autoimmune oral mucosal disease affecting 1-2% population worldwide [1, 2] and is characterized by its recurrence and chronic protraction course. It can be divided into erosive and nonerosive OLP according to the condition of the base mucosa of the lesion. Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic autoimmune oral mucosal disease that seriously affects the life quality of the patients. As a chronic autoimmune oral mucosal disease, OLP has different infiltration types of immune cells. 6 small molecules were proposed as promising novel treatment drugs for OLP patients. Our research may provide new impetus for the development of effective OLP biological treatment options
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
