Serum Cytokines and Adipokines in Periodontitis

Objective: To investigate whether there was an association between serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, adipokines and periodontitis in 60-70 year-old men in Northern Ireland. Methods: Test subjects (n=61) with established periodontitis, categorised by loss of periodontal attachment (PAL) and pocketing of at least 5mm, were matched for age, smoking and BMI with controls (n=60) who were periodontitis resistant (no PAL or pocketing over 3mm). Serum levels of IL 1 alpha, TNF alpha, IL 6, adiponectin, resistin, leptin and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured from serum using a multiplex array (Randox, UK). Mann Whitney analysis was used with the level of significance set at p<0.05. Results: There was considerable inter-individual variability in all the analytes measured. There was a significantly higher level of IL 6 in men with periodontitis (3.25 pg/ml, SD 2.29) than in those with no periodontitis (2.38 pg/ml, SD1.62), p=0.0041 (after Bonferroni correction for multiple testing p=0.029). Serum IL 6 was strongly correlated with CRP: r=0.52 (95% CI 0.38-0.64), p<0.0001. There was a lower serum level of adiponectin in men with periodontitis (3662.1 ng/ml, SD 2383.4) compared with those who were periodontitis resistant (4265.9 ng/ml, SD 2266.0), which just escaped statistical significance at p=0.068. There were no significant differences in the serum levels of any of the other analytes measured in relation to periodontal status. Conclusions: There was evidence in the 60-70 year-old male population investigated that periodontitis was associated with an increased serum level of IL 6.