Diagnostic value of interferon-c in the peripheral blood and the saliva of patients with oral lichen planus

Background the exact etiology of oral lichen planus (olp) remains obscure. t helper 1 cellassociated cytokines and chemokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis. among these cytokines, interferon-g (ifn-g) has been studied more extensively. objective the purpose of this study was to measure the level of ifn-g in peripheral blood and whole unstimulated saliva (wus) of olp patients to assess their diagnostic value. patients and methods ifn-g was measured simultaneously in serum and salivary (wus) samples of 30 olp patients and 30 healthy control individuals using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. results a significantly higher mean ifn-g in the saliva was found among olp cases compared with healthy control individuals, and the mean salivary ifn-g was significantly higher than that in the peripheral blood of cases. conclusion ifn-g in wus has a diagnostic value in olp lesions.