Stomatology ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (8): 567-573.doi: 10.13591/j.cnki.kqyx.2026.08.002

• Basic and Clinical Research • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Causal relationship between sex hormones and oral lichen planus

SUN Xinyi1,2, XIONG Meizhen1,2, TANG Yiming1,2, WANG Feng3, CHEN Wei1,2(), LI Zhi1,2()   

  1. 1 Jinling Clinical Medical College, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210002, China
  • Received:2025-11-10 Online:2026-08-28 Published:2026-08-24

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the causal relationship between serum sex hormone levels and oral lichen planus (OLP) using Mendelian randomization (MR), with supplementary serological validation. Methods A bidirectional two-sample MR analysis was conducted using publicly available genome-wide association study(GWAS) summary statistics for total testosterone (TT), bioavailable testosterone (BT), estradiol (E2), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAs), alongside OLP data from the FinnGen database. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method served as the primary analytical approach, supported by sensitivity analyses, while serum SHBG analysis was conducted for verification. Results Genetically predicted higher serum SHBG levels were associated with an increased risk of OLP in males (OR=1.26, P=0.04), but not in females. No causal effects were observed between TT, BT, E2, or DHEAs and OLP in either gender (P>0.05). Reverse MR analyses showed no causal effect of OLP on serum sex hormone levels. Sensitivity analyses supported the stability of these findings. Serological analyses in males showed trends consistent with the MR results, although the differences were attenuated after age adjustment. Conclusion Elevated serum SHBG levels are causally linked to an increased risk of OLP in males, while no significant causal associations are found for TT, BT, E2, or DHEAs.

Key words: Mendelian randomization, oral lichen planus, sex hormone, sex hormone-binding globulin

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