Abstract: Objective: To investigate the expression of miR-146a in peripheral blood and tissues of patients with oral lichen planus. Methods: Ninety-three patients with orallichen planus (OLP) were selected, including 53 cases of non-erosive type and 40 cases of erosive type. The expressions of miR-146a, IRAK1 and TRAF6 in peripheral blood and tissues were detected using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). The correlations between expressions of miR-146a, IRAK1 and TRAF6 were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis. Results: The relative expression levels of miR-146a in plasma and tissues of OLP were higher than those in healthy persons, while the relative expression levels of IRAK1 mRNA and TRAF6 mRNA in plasma and tissues of OLP were lower than those in healthy persons, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The relative expression levels of miR-146a in plasma and tissues of erosive type OLP were higher than those in non-erosive type OLP, while the relative expression levels of IRAK1 mRNA and TRAF6 mRNA were lower than those in non-erosive type OLP, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: The expressions of miR-146a in peripheral blood and tissues of OLP were related with the degree of the lesion. It might be involved in OLP immune inflammatory response through repressing IRAK1 and TRAF6.

Key words: Oral lichen planus, MiR-146a, Peripheral blood, Tissue, Expression