Assessment of salivary and serum antioxidant vitamins and lipid peroxidation in patients with oral lichen planus

ABSTRACT

Oral lichen planus [OLP] is a chronic mucosal condition commonly encountered in clinical dental practice Lichen planus is believed to represent an abnormal immune response in which epithelial cells are recognized as foreign, secondary the aim of this study was to assess the level of lipid peroxidation and status of antioxidant vitamins in patients with oral lichen planus to changes in the antigenicity of the cell surface Twenty five patients with oral lichen planus and 30 healthy controls were recruited Vitamin A C and F and malondialdehyde [MBA] levels were measured in both scrum and saliva of patients with oral lichen planus and control subjects Levels of vitamins A, C and E in both fluids were significantly lower m patients with lichenplanus then in healthy control subjects Conversely, the levels of MDA in saliva and serum were significantly higher in patients with oral lichen planus than in the control group Furthermore, strong and highly significant correlation was found between serum and salivary levels of vitamin A, C' and Band MDA in patients with OLP The present study demonstrates that the serum and saliva levels of selected antioxidant vitamins are lower while the degree of lipid peroxidation as judged by the MDA levels, is higher in patients with OLP than in the control subject This is the first study to measure specific antioxidant levels in both saliva and serum in the same patients, and indicates that the non-enzymatic anti-oxidant ability is impaired in patients with OLP