Serum angiopoietin‐2 level as a novel potential biomarker in oral lichen planus

Abstract

Background Lichen planus is a common chronic cutaneous inflammatory disease. Recent advances evidenced that angiogenesis is tightly connected to it. More recently, the endothelial specific growth factor angiopoietin‐2 has been clarified to interact with vascular endothelial growth factor. Angiopoietin‐2 level has not been investigated in lichen planus. Aim To evaluate serum level of angiopoietin‐2 in cutaneous and oral lichen planus. Methods Ninety patients were investigated, 45 patients with lichen planus. In addition to forty‐five healthy control, the activity of the disease was estimated at the time of examination. The serum level of angiopoietin‐2 had been estimated by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The relationships between angiopoietin‐2 serum level and disease severity, type of lichen, and visual analogue scale score (VAS) were determined. Results The serum levels of angiopoietin‐2 were substantially higher in patients with both cutaneous and oral lesions than patients with cutaneous lichen planus only (P < .001). Conclusions Serum angiopoietin‐2 is elevated in patients compared with normal subjects and is correlated with the presence of oral lesions and disease severity, that reflects its role in angiogenesis and inflammation, and angiopoietin‐2 serum level could be a potential marker for monitoring the oral lichen to identify possible malignant transformation.

Serum Angiopoietin-2: A Sensitive Inflammatory Marker in Psoriasis Patients

“…The upregulation of Ang-2 in endothelial cells could be the initial trigger of vascular expansion in psoriasis [11]. Recent reports have identified the association between serum Ang-2 and the severity of atopic dermatitis and lichen planus [17,18]. Furthermore, the high Ang-2 serum level in psoriasis patients might contribute to the increased cardiovascular risk factors associated with psoriasis suggesting the systemic role of Ang-2 in psoriasis associated comorbidities [19].…”