Gulfishan Shabnam, Syed Suhail Ahmed, Reddy Pathakota Krishnajaneya, Krishnan Preeti, Reddy Aravinda B, Fazal Ibrahim
Department of Periodontics, Sri Sai College of Dental Surgery, Vikarabad, Telangana - India.
Redesign Clinics, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana - India.
J Circ Biomark. 2024 Sep 20;13:14-22. doi: 10.33393/jcb.2024.3149. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.
Periodontitis is an inflammatory reaction to subgingival pathogenic microorganisms that causes gradual deterioration of the gingiva, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone. Interleukin (IL)-21 is the most recently found member of type I cytokine family that is upregulated during inflammation. The current study aims to investigate the biological plausibility of IL-21 as a biomarker for chronic periodontitis.
This cross-sectional clinico-biochemical investigation included 15 systemically healthy, 15 periodontally healthy, 15 chronic gingivitis, and 15 chronic periodontitis subjects aged 25 to 60 years. Following subject enrollment, gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and blood samples were then taken from each subject. The concentration of IL-21 in all samples was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The data was examined using the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Spearman correlation test.
Serum IL-21 levels in chronic periodontitis patients were substantially greater than in periodontally healthy individuals. GCF IL-21 levels were substantially greater in gingivitis and chronic periodontitis patients compared to periodontally healthy individuals. In terms of clinical indicators, serum IL-21 levels correlated significantly with bleeding index (BI) in the chronic periodontitis group. In chronic periodontitis group, disease severity as evaluated by probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) did not correlate with serum or GCF IL-21 levels.
According to the current study's findings, periodontally involved patients had higher IL-21 levels than periodontally healthy patients, suggesting it can be used as biomarker. Further studies with larger sample size can shed more light on the clinical advantage of IL-21 as a possible marker for disease activity and progression.
牙周炎是对龈下致病微生物的炎症反应，会导致牙龈、牙周膜和牙槽骨逐渐恶化。白细胞介素（IL）-21是I型细胞因子家族中最新发现的成员，在炎症过程中上调。本研究旨在探讨IL-21作为慢性牙周炎生物标志物的生物学合理性。
这项横断面临床生化研究纳入了15名全身健康、15名牙周健康、15名慢性牙龈炎和15名慢性牙周炎患者，年龄在25至60岁之间。受试者入组后，采集每位受试者的龈沟液（GCF）和血液样本。使用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）试剂盒测定所有样本中IL-21的浓度。数据采用Kruskal-Wallis检验和Spearman相关性检验进行分析。
慢性牙周炎患者的血清IL-21水平显著高于牙周健康个体。与牙周健康个体相比，牙龈炎和慢性牙周炎患者的GCF IL-21水平显著更高。在临床指标方面，慢性牙周炎组血清IL-21水平与出血指数（BI）显著相关。在慢性牙周炎组中，通过探诊袋深度（PPD）和临床附着丧失（CAL）评估的疾病严重程度与血清或GCF IL-21水平无关。
根据本研究结果，牙周病患者的IL-21水平高于牙周健康患者，表明它可作为生物标志物。进一步的大样本研究可以更清楚地揭示IL-21作为疾病活动和进展的可能标志物的临床优势。
