title: Interleukin-6 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in apical periodontitis: correlation with clinical and histologic findings of the involved teeth.
abstract: Apical periodontitis is characterized by the presence of immunocompetent cells producing a wide variety of inflammatory mediators. Releasing cytokines with long-range action, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), apical periodontitis may induce changes in remote organs of the host. This study quantified the levels of IL-6 and GM-CSF in symptomatic and asymptomatic human periradicular lesions. Lesions were also characterized by size and histologic findings. Tissue samples were homogenized and supernatants were assayed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Correlations between cytokine levels and characteristic features (as single variables) of the lesions were analysed. There was a trend for higher levels of IL-6 and GM-CSF in symptomatic than in asymptomatic lesions, but the difference was not significant. Levels also tended to be higher in large than in small lesions, in polymorphonuclear (PMN) cell-rich than in PMN cell-poor samples, and in epithelialized than in non-epithelialized lesions. Significantly higher levels of IL-6 (778.1 +/- 220.5 pg/microg) and GM-CSF (363.3 +/- 98.4 pg/microg) were found in samples coincidentally possessing symptomatic and epithelialized features than in asymptomatic, small, PMN cell-poor, non-epithelialized lesions (IL-6: 45.2 +/- 13.1 pg/microg and GM-CSF: 135.1 +/- 26.4 pg/microg). These results suggest that symptomatic lesions containing epithelial cells represent an immunologically active stage of apical periodontitis, whereas asymptomatic, small, PMN cell-poor, non-epithelialized lesions represent healing apical lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Restorative Dentistry, Medical and Health Science Center, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Radics
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kiss
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tar
authors.forename: I J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Márton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism; D010485:Periapical Periodontitis / Q000276:immunology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor