OR35 - interleukin-6 Levels Are Elevated in Saliva of Patients with Endodontic Disease

Abstract: Interleukin-6 is an inflammatory cytokine that is expressed in abundance during any inflammatory response. Several studies have shown that these cytokines can be measured in saliva and are in direct proportion to the levels found in blood. The purpose of this study is to determine if cytokine levels of Interleukin-6 in saliva are elevated in patients undergoing endodontic treatment. Twenty patients aged 20-65 years presenting to the UNMC Graduate Endodontic clinic for treatment were included in the study. Six healthy volunteers were recruited to be in the control group. Passive saliva was collected in sterile, polystyrene tubes and stored in a -75°C freezer until analysis. Samples were subjected to standard Human Salivary IL-6 ELISA protocol and values were obtained using a photo-spectrometer. The results were statistically analyzed using Student T-test. In the endodontic treatment group, the mean IL-6 measurement was 4.481 pg/mL (SD=1.028). In the control group, the mean IL-6 measurement was 1.965 pg/mL (SD=.8022). The difference was statistically significant (p< .05) with a p-value of .0216. Patients in the treatment group presented significantly higher levels of salivary IL-6 cytokine than the control group. These results suggest that salivary IL-6 levels could be used as a potential biomarker of endodontic disease severity and aid in endodontic diagnosis. The materials for saliva collection and storage, and the Human IL-6 ELISA kit were provided by the Department of Oral Biology of the University of Nebraska Medical Center.