engleski

Salivary interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha in patients with oral leukoplakia

Elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α were previously reported in patients with oral cancer and precancerous lesions such as oral lichen planus and oral submucous fibrosis. The aim of this study was to assess whether in oral leukoplakia these cytokines follow the same pattern seen in other oral premalignant lesions. IL-6 and TNF-α were measured in unstimulated whole saliva of 30 patients with oral leukoplakia (age range 24-78, mean 52.3 years) and 34 healthy individuals (age range 27-79, mean 52 years) by use of ELISA. Statistical analysis included use of descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney test and Pearson's correlation. Patients with oral leukoplakia had significantly higher levels of salivary IL-6 and TNF-α in when compared to the healthy controls. The levels of salivary IL-6 and TNF-α did not correlate neither with the size of leukoplakia nor with its localization. Furthermore, levels of salivary IL-6 and TNF- α were not influenced by smoking. Conclusions: We might assume that patients with leukoplakia have altered immune response which is manifested by increased salivary levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α. Bearing in mind the role of IL-6 and TNF-α as promoters in the process of cancerogenesis, those cytokines might have a diagnostic value as markers of malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia. However, such assumption requires further research.

leukoplakia; saliva; interleukin 6; tumor necrosis factor alpha

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