ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06981767Updated Jun 9, 2026

Effect of Topical Bromelain Versus Topical Corticosteroids in the Management of Oral Lichen Planus

A Phase 2 interventional study of Topical Bromelain and 0.1% topical triamcinolone acetonide in Oral Lichen Planus, sponsored by Cairo University. Recruiting at 1 site in Egypt. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-09.

Sponsored by Cairo University · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Jul 2026, 3 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Feb 2026; still recruiting 8 months later.
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
42
Allocation
Randomized
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Bromelain, an enzyme extract derived from pineapples, has shown promise due to its anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties. However, its efficacy in treating oral mucosal ulcers remains unexplored. This study aims to provide clinical evidence on the efficacy of bromelain for managing OLP, potentially offering a safer and more effective treatment option.

02

Conditions studied

  • Oral Lichen Planus

Browse trials for

03

In context

Lichen Planus, Oral

142 studies on the registry are indexed under Lichen Planus, Oral; 27 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 42 is close to the median of 39 across 101 interventional studies indexed under Lichen Planus, Oral.

Browse Lichen Planus, Oral studies →

Lead sponsor

Cairo University is the lead sponsor of 4,941 studies on the registry; 1,458 are open to participants now.

Of its 37 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 5 (14%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
Child (0–17), Adult (18–64), Older adult (65+)
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients suffering from symptomatic OLP
  • Patients free from any visible oral lesions other than OLP.
  • Patients who agreed to take the supplied interventions.
  • Patient who will agree to participate in the study.
  • Patients who will accept to sign the .

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients suffering from any systemic disease.
  • Treatment with any systemic treatment such as systemic , other drugs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at least eight weeks.
  • Treatment with any oral topical medications for at least four weeks prior to the study.
  • Pregnant and lactating mothers.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Immunosuppression

A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.

Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Care provider, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
42 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Topical Bromelain in Orabase

    Participants in this group will receive topical bromelain incorporated into an orabase. Patients will be instructed to apply the formulation four times daily No additional topical medications will be permitted.

    Dietary Supplement: Topical Bromelain

  • Active comparator
    Topical Triamcinolone Acetonide in Orabase

    This group will receive topical 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide The treatment will be applied four times daily, following the same instructions and precautions as in Arm 1

    Drug: 0.1% topical triamcinolone acetonide

  • Experimental
    Combination of Topical Bromelain and Triamcinolone Acetonide in Orabase

    Participants in this arm will be treated with a combination formulation containing both topical bromelain and 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide in orabase. Application instructions will be identical to those in the other arms: four times daily.

    Combination Product: Combination of Topical Bromelain and Triamcinolone Acetonide in Orabase

Interventions

  • Dietary supplementTopical Bromelain

    A natural enzyme-based formulation derived from pineapple, bromelain in orabase is being investigated for its anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties. As a non-steroidal alternative, it offers a potentially safer treatment option with minimal side effects.

  • A corticosteroid-based standard treatment for OLP, triamcinolone acetonide in orabase is used for its strong anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. It serves as the conventional treatment versus novel therapy in this study

  • Combination productCombination of Topical Bromelain and Triamcinolone Acetonide in Orabase

    This novel formulation combines the enzymatic, healing properties of bromelain with the anti-inflammatory property of triamcinolone. It is designed to provide enhanced therapeutic effects through synergistic action, potentially reducing the required corticosteroid dose while improving clinical outcomes.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Clinical improvement

    Clinical improvement will be measured using Thongprasom et al. scoring system. In Thongprasom et al. scale, lesions are given score as follows: 0, no lesions, normal mucosa; 1, Mild white striae, no erythematous area; 2, White striae with atrophic area \< 1 cm2; 3, White striae with atrophic area \> 1 cm2; 4, White striae with erosive area \< 1 cm2 and 5, White striae with erosive area \> 1 cm2 (Thongprasom et al., 2003).

    Time frame: Recorded at baseline, and weekly for 4 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Pain intensity

    Pain intensity will be measured using Visual analogue scale (VAS), VAS is a self-reported pain score ranging from 0 to 10 (Cheng et al., 2012) at baseline, daily for the first week, then weekly for the remaining 3 weeks.

    Time frame: baseline, daily for the first week, then weekly for the remaining 3 weeks.

  2. Oral health-related quality of life

    Oral health-related quality of life using Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) Oral health-related quality of life is a five-point Likert-type scale used in scoring each item of the OHIP-14. Responses are coded 0 = never', 1 = hardly ever', 2 = occasionally', 3 = fairly often', 4 = very often'. Item responses are summed to produce an OHIP-14 total score. Total OHIP-14 scores range from 0 (no impact) to 56 (all of the oral health problems are experienced very often). High scores indicates a poor oral health-related quality of life (Wiriyakijja et al., 2018).

    Time frame: at baseline, and weekly for the 4 weeks.

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Started Feb 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jul 2026, 5 months after the start.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
May 13, 2025
First posted
May 21, 2025
StartActual
Feb 18, 2026
Primary completionEst.
Jul 20, 2026
CompletionEst.
Aug 15, 2026
Last update
Jun 9, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 9, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06981767
Lead sponsor
Cairo University
Responsible party
Lujain Taleb Suleiman Aladwan (Master's Student in Oral Medicine, Cairo University) — Principal investigator
First posted
May 21, 2025
Start date
Feb 18, 2026
Primary completion
Jul 20, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Aug 15, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 9, 2026

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

No contact was published for this record. The registry link below has the sponsor’s details.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Studies of the drug tested here: Bromelains

Start the discussion