Diagnostic and prognostic relevance of salivary microRNA-21, -125a, -31 and -200a levels in patients with oral lichen planus - a short report

Background Oral lichen planus (OLP), a relatively common chronic inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa, is considered to be a premalignant disorder of the oral cavity. Previously, several biomarkers have been tested for their diagnostic potential. Here, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic potential of four miRNAs, miR-21, -125a, -31 and -200a, known to be involved in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) development, in the saliva of OLP patients as also their putative relation to OSCC development in these patients. Materials and methods Saliva samples from 30 patients with OLP were collected, 15 of whom were diagnosed with dysplasia upon histopathologic examination. In addition, 15 saliva samples from patients with OSCC and 15 saliva samples from healthy donors were collected. After RNA extraction, the respective miRNA levels were assessed by quantitative RT-PCR. Results We found that the miR-21 levels were significantly increased in saliva samples derived from patients with OLP, dysplastic OLP and OSCC, compared to those from healthy controls ( p = 0.012, p = 0.0017 and p