Objective The aim of this study was to determine the expression of genes of the oligodendrocyte lineagemyelin basic protein(Golli-MBP) in peripheral blood mononuclear cell(PBMC) in oral lichen planus(OLP) and to further understand the pathogenesis of OLP. Methods PBMC was obtained by density gradient centrifugation, and the expression of Golli-MBP in PBMC was investigated in erythematous/erosive OLP(20 cases), reticular OLP(16 cases) and normal controls(19 cases) using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) and Western blot methods. Results RT-PCR results showed that Golli-MBP mRNA was overexpressed in erythematous/erosive and reticular OLP as compared with normal control group(P0.05). Conclusion The data accumulated here strongly indicate that Golli-MBP was involved in the pathogenesis of OLP.