The Diagnostic Value of Certain Immunoactive Peptides in Oral Diseases

Introduction. Inflammation plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of chronic periodontitis and oral lichen planus. Inflammatory mediators detected in mixed saliva, such as interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and E-selectin, are particularly important for early diagnosis, monitoring, and evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for these diseases.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of absolute and corrected by total protein levels of interleukin-6, interleukin-8 and E-selectin in mixed saliva samples from patients with chronic periodontitis and oral lichen planus.

Materials and methods. The study involved 43 people of different ages (63.0 [48.0; 71.0] years). Three groups were formed: patients with moderate chronic periodontitis (n = 21); patients with oral lichen planus (n = 7); control group (n = 15). The Luminex 200 analyzer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA) was used to evaluate levels of inteleukin-6 (IL-6 Human ProcartaPlex Simplex Kit, Invitrogen, USA), interleukin-8 (IL-8 (CXCL8) Human ProcartaPlex Simplex Kit, Invitrogen, USA) and E-selectin (CD62E (E-selectin) Human ProcartaPlex Simplex Kit, Invitrogen, USA) in mixed saliva.

Results. The absolute concentration of interleukin-8 was significantly increased in patients with chronic periodontitis (p = 0.019). ROC analysis showed that the diagnostic accuracy of interleukin-8 measurement was moderate (AUC = 0.790; p = 0.004). Diagnostic sensitivity was 75.00 % and specificity was 88.89 % at the cut-off ≥473.78 pg/ml. There were no differences in the results after correction by total protein concentration.

Conclusion. The absolute level of interleukin-8 in mixed saliva was elevated in patients with chronic periodontitis, but there were no changes after correction by total protein concentration. 

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