Sikora Renata, Duspara Kristina, Matić Anita, Petrović Ana, Kralik Kristina, Smolić Robert, Sikora Miroslav, Šarac Martina Čalušić, Bojanić Kristina, Smolić Martina
Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek, J. J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia.
Health Center Osijek-Baranja County, 31000 Osijek, Croatia.
Medicina (Kaunas). 2025 Feb 21;61(3):375. doi: 10.3390/medicina61030375.
In recent years, numerous studies have investigated and analyzed the levels of molecular biomarkers of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) from various tissue samples and body fluids. However, no study has investigated gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) in TMD patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines in GCF before and after stabilization splint (SS) therapy in patients with painful TMD, to investigate whether SS administration causes changes in the concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines. An additional aim was to investigate the relationship of GCF cytokine levels with chronic pain intensity and clinical parameters. This prospective cohort study included 36 patients who were diagnosed with painful TMD using the Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (DC/TMD). GCF samples were collected at baseline before SS treatment (T0) and at one month (T1) and three months (T2) after the start of therapy. Customized ProcartaPlex Multiplex assays from eBioscience (Invitrogen™, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Viena, Austria) were used for the quantitative analysis of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-13, and TNF-α). Patients filled out Croatian versions of questionnaires for self-assessment from Axis II DK/TMP: Graded Chronic Pain Scale (v2) (GCPSv2) and Jaw Function Limitation Scale-20 (JFLS-20). The results showed that the GCF levels of IL-7 (Friedman's test, = 0.008) and IL-13 (Friedman's test, = 0.003) were significantly decreased at T2. The GCF level of IL-13 was in negative correlation with chronic pain grade score at T2 (Rho = -0.333), while the GCF level of IL-8 was in positive correlation with mobility limitation (Rho = 0.382) at T1. The results indicate that SS therapy might have a role in reducing inflammation and that the GCF could be a valuable medium for assessing molecular biomarkers.
近年来，众多研究对来自各种组织样本和体液的颞下颌关节紊乱病（TMD）分子生物标志物水平进行了调查和分析。然而，尚无研究对TMD患者的龈沟液（GCF）进行调查。本研究的目的是测定疼痛性TMD患者在稳定咬合板（SS）治疗前后GCF中促炎细胞因子的浓度，以研究施用SS是否会导致促炎细胞因子浓度的变化。另一个目的是研究GCF细胞因子水平与慢性疼痛强度和临床参数之间的关系。这项前瞻性队列研究纳入了36例根据颞下颌关节紊乱病诊断标准（DC/TMD）被诊断为疼痛性TMD的患者。在SS治疗前的基线期（T0）以及治疗开始后的1个月（T1）和3个月（T2）采集GCF样本。使用eBioscience（Invitrogen™，赛默飞世尔科技，维也纳，奥地利）定制的ProcartaPlex多重检测法对促炎细胞因子（IL-1β、IL-6、IL-7、IL-8、IL-13和TNF-α）进行定量分析。患者填写了来自轴II DK/TMP的克罗地亚语版自我评估问卷：分级慢性疼痛量表（第2版）（GCPSv2）和下颌功能受限量表-20（JFLS-20）。结果显示，IL-7（Friedman检验， = 0.008）和IL-13（Friedman检验， = 0.003）的GCF水平在T2时显著降低。IL-13的GCF水平在T2时与慢性疼痛分级评分呈负相关（Rho = -0.333），而IL-8的GCF水平在T1时与活动受限呈正相关（Rho = 0.382）。结果表明，SS治疗可能在减轻炎症方面发挥作用，并且GCF可能是评估分子生物标志物的一种有价值的介质。
