Increased interleukin-1 beta levels in gingival crevicular fluid of Chinese periodontal patients.

One hundred and twenty-four gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples were harvested from 13 healthy and 111 diseased gingival sites in 10 patients with periodontitis. The total amount and concentration of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) in each sample was measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique using an ELISA Kit specific for this cytokine. The IL-1 beta was undetectable in 23% of the GCF from clinically non-inflamed sites (three out of 13), while it could mostly be identified in diseased sites (109/111). The amount of IL-1 beta varied from 4.03 to 511.12 pg/site in diseased GCF samples. The average IL-1 beta amount from diseased sites was three-fold that from non-inflamed sites. Total IL-1 beta amount and the GCF volume were significantly increased with elevated gingival index (GI) score and deeper probing depth (PD). However, no significant difference of crevicular IL-1 beta concentration (pg/microL) could be found among groups with different clinical parameters. Our results indicate that IL-1 beta was present in the GCF of most clinically non-inflamed gingiva and almost all diseased pockets. The significant elevation of total IL-1 beta amount and GCF volume in diseased sulci suggests that it is closely associated with the severity of periodontal disease.