Biochemical Assessment of Malondialdehyde in Saliva and Tissue Transudates in Patients with Oral Lichen Planus

Abstract

Lichen Planus (LP) is a chronic inflammatory muco-cutaneous disease, which most commonly affects the skin, genitalia and oral mucous membrane. Most of the patients are females between the 4th and 6th decade. The atrophic lesions are most common, followed by the erosive forms. In the mouth, the most affected area is the buccal mucosa, although it can occur on the tongue, gingiva and palate. In recent years, there has been an increasing research interest in oxidation of biological systems including free radicals, reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative stress and antioxidant defense mechanisms in inflammatory chronic degenerative diseases and during carcinogenesis. Researchers have proven the role of oxidative stress in the etiopathogenesis of oral lichen planus by estimating the levels of oxidative markers like malondialdehyde (MDA) in various samples; serum, saliva and biopsy. MDA is the principal and most studied product of polyunsaturated fatty acid peroxidation. MDA can combine with many functional groups of molecules including proteins, lipoproteins, RNA and DNA.