The interleukin-6 family in tissues is closely related to the clinical outcomes of oral lichen planus.

OBJECTIVE: We attempted to investigate the role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) family expression in local tissues as it relates to presentations and outcomes in oral lichen planus (OLP), which is a common chronic inflammatory oral disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A clinical follow-up cohort of OLP patients was established, and a biological sample library was constructed with categorization into erosive type (EOLP) and nonerosive type (NEOLP). Transcriptome sequencing of the lesions was then performed. A multiple regression model was used to explore the differences in IL-6 family expression among patients with different clinical types and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: OLP tissue transcriptome sequencing showed that IL-6 family expression in EOLP increased significantly. It was also found that IL-6 family factors in the OLP recurrent erosion group were significantly increased compared to the persistent nonerosion group. Based on the multiple regression analysis of the OLP clinical cohort, it was found that the increased expression of the IL-6 family was closely related to the clinical types and clinical outcomes of OLP. CONCLUSION: The high expression of the IL-6 family is closely related to the erosion of local mucosa and poor prognosis of OLP patients. IL-6-related factors may be used as therapeutic targets for OLP patients.