MAIT cells and their implication in human oral diseases

Abstract

Objective: Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are unique innate-like T cells that are abundant in humans, accounting for 1-10% of circulating T cells and about 2% of total T cells in human oral cavity. MAIT cells can mount a strong immune response quickly without exogenous antigens and undergo a phenotypic transformation in the development of diseases. They produce cytokines involved in the Th1 and Th17 immune response and cytotoxic proteins, promote the dysfunction of autoreactive B cell and inhibit the function of NK cells. MAIT cells have been widely explored in autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases and tumors, and these mechanisms may also be involved in the pathogenesis of some oral diseases, while MAIT cells have not been systematically discussed in oral diseases.

Methods: We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and Microsoft Bing databases to review and analyze relevant literatures on the impact of MAIT cells in the pathogenesis of human oral diseases.

Conclusion: Collected evidence elucidated the characteristics of MAIT cells and emphasized the potential roles of MAIT cells in oral lichen planus (OLP), chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), apical periodontitis (AP) and primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS).

Keywords: Apical periodontitis; Chronic graft-versus-host disease; MAIT cells; Oral lichen planus; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; Primary Sjogren’s syndrome.