Salivary levels of Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis

Abstract

Objetives: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common pathology of the oral mucosa with a complex and multifactorial etiology. Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNFα) is a cytokine with an important but not well-known role in the development of new lesions in RAS patients. Modifications of salivary levels of TNFα in RAS patients during the active periods of the disease have been measured in this work. The possible implication of TNFα in RAS etiology is also discussed. Study design: The study group was composed of 20 patients previously diagnosed with RAS and randomly selected. As a control group 10 healthy patients were also randomly selected. In both groups a TNFα assessment was carried out in non stimulated saliva. All the patients in the study group presented active lesions at the moment of the salivary sample collection. Values oscillating between 0 and 8.1 pg/ml were considered as normal. Results: Salivary TNFα levels are 2 to 5 times higher in RAS patients than those of healthy patients. Conclusions: TNFα has a possible implication in the RAS etiology and it may also have an important role in the search of new treatments for this disease.

Potential of Distilled Liquid Smoke Derived from Coconut (Cocos nucifera L) Shell for Traumatic Ulcer Healing in Diabetic Rats

“…19 Individuals with recurrent aphthous stomatitis without systemic abnormalities increased by two to five times. 20 Also, free radical levels such as malondialdehyde, NO, and oxidative stress index were higher compared to individuals without recurrent aphthous stomatitis. 21 Increasing TNF-α expression, not only occurs systemically but also increases in tissue, so oral ulcer in diabetes mellitus has the potential to delay the healing.…”

Modulation of salivary cytokines in response to alcohol, tobacco and caffeine consumption: a pilot study

“…Increased salivary TNF-α concentrations often appear in conjunction with elevated IL-1α in saliva. Analysis of saliva samples from patients with periodontitis 14 , burning mouth syndrome 15 , recurrent aphthous stomatitis 16 and in response to microbial colonization 6 support the role of TNF-α as a link between inflammation and disease.…”

“…We include the examination of this key cytokine due to its role in innate and adaptive immunity, highlighted by the elevated susceptibility of long-term alcohol, and tobacco consumers to viral infections leading to cancers of the oral cavity 18 – 20 . IFN-γ is produced by and stimulates a wide array of immune cells, including NK (natural killer), NKT (natural killer T), CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, leading to the downstream modulation of other pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α 16 . The balance between pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines is essential for maintenance of health.…”

Evaluation of salivary tumour necrosis factor–alpha in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis

“…Various causative factors such as genetic tendency, immunologic basis, nutritional deficiency, emotional stress, hematologic and hormonal disturbances, local injury, microbial agents and other influences have been suggested in previous studies (5,7). There is no definitive explanation for the pathogenesis of RAS (8). The epithelial cell death and ulceration in RAS are the results of cell-mediated immune response, mainly T-lymphocyte activation which leads to the formation of cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α ) (9).…”