Abstract:

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the mucosa, some of which will develop into oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the pathogenesis of OLP remains unknown, but autoimmunity has been suggested as a potential cause. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which are small noncoding RNAs, have been reported to be involved in a series of physiological events as well as the progression of diseases. The evidence indicates that miRNAs may be highly related to both the initiation and malignant progression of OLP. MiR-146a, miR-26b, miR-155, miR-19a and miR-125a are able to trigger OLP by regulating autoimmunity, and miR-137, miR-125b, and miR-27b may accelerate the carcinogenesis of OLP. These miRNAs may be potential targets for prognosis and treatment. Subsequent studies are expected to focus on a more comprehensive exploration of the role of miRNAs in OLP (including specific action pathways and other OLP-related miRNAs), as well as the potential for miRNAs to predict the treatment outcome of OLP. This review provides an updated summary of the roles of miRNAs in OLP to provide new ideas and approaches to OLP research.

Key words: oral lichen planus, precancerous condition, microRNA, autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, carcinogenesis, therapeutic targets

摘要：

口腔扁平苔藓（oral lichen planus,OLP）是一种口腔黏膜的慢性炎症性疾病,部分病例最终可发展为口腔鳞状细胞癌。然而,OLP的准确发病机制目前仍未被阐明,一些证据显示其发病可能与自身免疫系统紊乱相关。microRNAs（miRNAs）是一类小非编码RNA分子,其参与调控一系列正常生理过程以及众多疾病的发生。目前已有研究表明miRNAs与OLP发病和恶变的过程均可能相关,miR-146a、miR-26b、miR-155和miR-19a、miR-125a可能分别通过促进角化细胞增殖和凋亡、合成前列腺素及血栓素等途径使自身免疫紊乱,从而导致OLP的发生;而miR-137、miR-125b、miR-27b等则可能促进了OLP的癌变。并且认为这些miRNAs可能具有预判OLP活动度及风险度的潜力,也可能是OLP潜在的治疗靶点之一。后续的研究预计将集中于更全面地探索miRNAs在OLP中的作用（包括具体作用通路和其他OLP相关的miRNAs）,以及研究miRNAs用于预测治疗OLP的潜力。本文就miRNAs在OLP发病中作用的最新进展进行综述,为OLP的研究提供新的思路和方法。

关键词: 口腔扁平苔藓, 癌前状态, microRNA, 自身免疫, 慢性炎症, 癌变, 治疗靶点