Overexpression of miR-516a-5p Promotes Erosive Oral Lichen Planus: In Vitro Study Based on Bioinformatics Analyses.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the differentially expressed microRNAs in erosive oral lichen planus, followed by analyzing how the overexpression of identified miR-516a-5p influences human oral mucosal fibroblasts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: High-throughput sequencing using tissues from patients and healthy individuals identified varying microRNA expression profiles in erosive oral lichen planus tissues. Bioinformatics analysis subsequently revealed the enriched pathways and targeted genes involved. In vitro experiments were performed to confirm the validity of bioinformatic findings. RESULTS: A total of 82 microRNAs were differentially expressed in erosive oral lichen planus tissues. These microRNAs are mainly linked to T helper cell differentiation that enriched in MAPK signaling pathways, as well as targeting mRNAs like MAPK11. Overexpression of miR-516a-5p resulted in a statistically significant decrease in MAPK11 mRNA level in human oral mucosal fibroblasts. Overexpression of miR-516a-5p increased TNF-α and IFN-γ levels, whereas it decreased IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-13 levels. Overexpression of miR-516a-5p enhanced both the proliferation and migration of human oral mucosal fibroblasts. CONCLUSIONS: The miR-516a-5p overexpression in patients with erosive oral lichen planus may contribute to the imbalance of T helper 1/2 cell-associated inflammatory cytokine expression in human oral mucosal fibroblasts by targeting MAPK11 mRNA, promoting their proliferative and migratory capacities.