Tien-Hsien LIQUID MODULATES ANTIGEN-STIMULATED CYTOKINE PRODUCTION BY T -CELLS FROM PATIENTS WITH EROSIVE ORAL LICHEN PLANUS

Erosive oral lichen planus (EOLP) is a T-cell-mediated inflammatory oral mucosal disease. Tien-Hsien liquid (THL) is an extract of Chinese medicinal herbs that can modulate the antigen-stimulated proliferative response of and cytokine production by T cells from patients with recurrent aphthous ulcerations. In this study, we tested whether THL could modulate the antigen-stimulated cytokine production by T cells from EOLP patients (EOLP-T cells). T cells isolated from 15 EOLP patients were incubated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), glutaraldehyde-inactivated tetanus toxoid (TT), glucosyltransferase D (GtfD), or antigens of Streptococcus mutans in the presence or absence of THL. Levels of interleukin (IL)-2, interferon (IFN)-gamma, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- alpha, IL-6, and IL-10 in the supernatants of T-cell cultures were measured by cytokine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. We found that THL significantly increased PHA- and TT-stimulated TNF- alpha and IL-6 production by EOLP-T cells. However, THL also significantly decreased GtfD-stimulated IL-10 production and S. mutans-stimulated TNF- alpha and IL-10 production by EOLP-T cells. Because THL both increased and decreased antigen-stimulated cytokine production by EOLP-T cells, we concluded that THL modulates antigen-stimulated cytokine production by EOLP-T cells