To explore influence of artesunate on T-bet / GATA-3 equilibrium of peripheral blood in oral lichen planus.

18 OLP patients were selected, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated by density gradient centrifugation. The cells were cultured and treated with different concentrations (0, 1, 100 μmol/L) of artesunate. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot were applied to detect the T-bet and GATA-3 mRNA and protein expression respectively.

The T-bet/GATA-3 mRNA and protein expressions in groups treated with artesunate (1 μmol/L & 100 μmol/L) were higher than that of control group (treated without artesunate)(P ＜ 0. 05), and the expressions were improved significantly in high concentration group (100 μmol/L) compared with low concentration group (1 μmol/L)(P ＜ 0. 05).

Artesunate can regulate the T-bet/GATA-3 balance in OLP effectively.