Programmed cell removal biomarkers Calreticulin and CD47 implicated in Oral Lichen Planus

Objectives: To investigate the expression of the programmed cell removal markers, Calreticulin and CD-47, involved in the eat me don't eat me signal in cancer pathogenesis in the epithelial and inflammatory cells of oral lichen planus (OLP) patients, and to investigate the association with clinical parameters.

Methods: Biopsies of 78 OLP patients were included. The clinical data was collected from patients' charts. The expression of Calreticulin and CD-47 was immunomorphometrically analyzed in the epithelial and inflammatory cells (CRTep, CRTinf, CD47ep, CD47inf) and the results were correlated with the clinical presentation.

Results: The epithelial and inflammatory cells expressed Calreticulin (2.83±6.62 and 5.13±3.72) and CD-47 (7.92±4.6 and 10.7±7.16). The expressions of CD47ep and CD47inf were associated (R=0.64, p<0.0005) with one another. The expressions of CRTinf and CD47ep were higher in A/ELP than in KLP patients (6.46+0.76 and 9.38+0.87 versus 4.2+0.61 and 6.84+0.91, respectively, p=0.002 and p=0.021).The expression of CRTep was more abundant in males (P=0.049) and was associated with less involved sites (P<0.009).
The expression of CRTinf was associated with the presence of skin lesions and symptoms (P<0.034 and P=0.047, respectively). Only in A/ELP patients, the expression of CRTep was associated with high expression of CD47ep (R=0.6 ,P=0.004). In A/ELP patients, both CD47ep and CD47inf were associated with lower age of the patients (R= -0.48, P=0.03 and R= -0.54, P=0.01).

Conclusions: The pattern of expression of CRT and CD47 in OLP suggest a general programmed cell removal response in both clinical forms of the OLP. A/ELP or Symptomatic patients may benefit from CRT/CD47 targeted therapy in the future.