IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels in gingival fluid and serum of patients with ischemic stroke

It has been documented that an increase of immune cells in periodontitis may stimulate the process of atherosclerosis and lead to ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is any significant difference in serum and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) cytokine concentrations between patients with early ischemic stroke (IS) and a control group. Eighty-six patients were consecutively enrolled for this study, 50 with ischemic stroke and 36 as a control group with no previous stroke. Only dentulous patients were included. In each patient, GCF was collected from the deepest periodontal pocket. Blood serum samples were also taken from all subjects. The collected material was analyzed for cytokine concentrations using the cytometric bead array technique. Cerebral ischemia was found to be correlated with higher serum levels of IL-1 beta (13.01 +/- 13.87 vs. 7.83 +/- 2.11) and IL-6 (15.82 +/- 16.64 vs. 6.64 +/- 2.5) compared to the control group. The levels of 1L-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha in GCF were higher in patients with ischemic stroke but the difference was not significant. In conclusion, ischemic stroke was found to be associated with higher levels of 1L-1 beta and IL-6 in serum. The cytokine concentrations in GCF did not appear to be directly correlated with those in serum in patients with ischemic stroke.