The impact of the IL-11:IL-17 ratio on the chronic periodontitis pathogenesis: a preliminary report

An imbalance in the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines may be responsible for periodontal breakdown through immune responses. This study aimed to determine the total amount, concentration and ratio of interleukin (IL)-11 and IL-17 in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of chronic periodontitis (CP) patients. Forty CP patients and 20 healthy controls (C) were included. The CP group was divided into two subgroups in line with the probing depth (PD) in GCF-sampling sites (CPa: PD >= 5 mm, CPb: PD <= 4 mm). For each patient, gingival index, plaque index, gingival bleeding time index, PD, and clinical attachment level values were recorded. IL-11 and IL-17 in GCF were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The total amount and concentration of IL-11 and IL-17 were significantly lower in the CPa group (P < 0.05). The C group has the highest IL-11:IL-17 ratio, followed by CPb and CPa groups respectively. The ratio was significantly lower in CPa group than the CPb and C groups (P < 0.01). Our data confirm that the decreased ratio of IL-11:IL-17 may be a factor, which has shown this imbalance between the cytokines' activities in deeper pockets in our study.