Aim. Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease that affects the teeth supporting structures, triggered by periodontal pathogens, and is influenced by environmental and genetic factors. Genes encoding molecules related to the immune response, such as cytokine, are the main candidates for polymorphisms analysis and may be possibly associated with this pathology. A G/C promoter polymorphism on the IL6 gene has been shown to affect basal IL-6 levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the IL6 c.-174G>C polymorphism and periodontitis in individuals from Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil. Material and Methods. Three hundred and thirty individuals (134 cases, 196 controls) were genotyped for the IL6 c.-174G>C by MS-PCR technique. Concentrations of salivary IL-6 were determined by ELISA method. Results. The IL6 c.-174G>C polymorphism was associated with periodontitis when comparing the distribution of genotypes between patients with periodontitis and control subjects. The GC genotype appeared as a protective factor for periodontitis. Results showed increased levels of salivary IL-6 in periodontitis patients. Nevertheless, there was no relationship between the concentrations of IL-6 and genotypes when comparing the case and control groups. Conclusions. Our data indicate an association between IL6 c.-174G>C polymorphism and periodontitis and showed that IL-6 may be considered an important marker for periodontitis.

Background:Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease characterized by the loss of connective tissue and alveolar bone. Different factors are associated with the onset and prognosis of this disease, both environmental and genetic. The latter particularly relate to molecules secreted as a function of the host immune response, such as pro-inflammatory cytokines. Studies indicate that the polymorphism c. 3954C > T in the interleukin-1 β encoding gene (IL1B) can be considered as an aggravating factor in the periodontitis condition.Aims:This study aimed to evaluate whether there is an association between the IL1B c. 3954C > T gene polymorphism and the prevalence of periodontitis in the population from Vitória da Conquista–Bahia, Brazil.Materials and Methods:A total of 347 subjects (134 cases and 213 controls) who provided epithelial tissue of the oral cavity and saliva samples for DNA extraction and quantification of IL1B, respectively, were selected. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism followed by electrophoresis in agarose gel. The evaluation of the cytokine concentration was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Statistical Analysis:Statistical calculations involved in this work include Chi-square test, Fisher Exact test, Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests.Results:Our findings revealed that: (i) No statistically significant relationship between periodontitis and the polymorphism studied was observed; (ii) no significant difference between the concentrations of IL1B in saliva between the case and control subjects and between the genotypes of these individuals and the concentrations of this cytokine.Conclusions:We conclude that, in the sample evaluated, the IL1B c. 3954C > T polymorphism did not present as an etiological factor for periodontitis.

Aim: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between the polymorphism c.-889 C>T in the IL1A gene and periodontitis in subjects from Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil. Methods: Two hundred fifty-nine individuals were classified according to periodontitis diagnoses in cases and controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from buccal epithelial cells. Genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP, followed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Fisher’s exact and Hosmer-Lemeshow tests. Results: In the individuals evaluated in this study, periodontitis was significantly associated with a low educational level (p = 0.024) and clinical variables, such as gingival bleeding (p = 0.019) and tooth mobility (p = 0.001). Among patients in the case group, the majority (72.88%) had a generalized form of periodontitis. The genotypic frequencies for IL1A c.–889 C>T between the case and control groups did not significantly differ (χ2 = 1.6983; p = 0.428). Conclusion: This study’s findings indicate the lack of association between periodontitis and the IL1A c -889 C>T gene polymorphism.Uniterms: Peridontitis. Genetic polymorphism. Interleukin-1.

Os avanços da biotecnologia oriundos do advento da genética e genômica vêm exigindo crescente esforço reflexivo e regulatório sobre aspectos éticos, bioéticos, de biossegurança e jurídicos, uma vez que a sociedade não pode debelar de regulamentações para manter um equilíbrio entre as pesquisas científicas e a dignidade da pessoa humana. O desafio está em ampliar e democratizar o espaço de debate sobre a bioética diante dos avanços ligados à terapia gênica, que consiste na introdução de genes modificados em outro organismo através da tecnologia do DNA recombinante. Estas práticas ainda requerem esclarecimentos e regulamentações, pois pesquisas desta natureza tem seus riscos inerentes, que podem violar o mais admirável princípio da Bioética e do Biodireito: a autonomia. Portanto, torna-se imprescindível o reconhecimento deste panorama –a sua complexidade e conflitos- que tange a bioética e o direito, diante das lacunas na intepretação e operacionalização da lei para resguardar o direito da pessoa humana em qualquer fase da vida.