Salivary interleukin-17A and interleukin-18 levels in patients with celiac disease and periodontitis

PeerJ. 2024 May 13:12:e17374. doi: 10.7717/peerj.17374. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Background: An increased level of interleukin-17A and interleukin-18 in the serum and intestinal mucosa of celiac disease patients reflecting the severity of villous atrophy and inflammation was documented. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of salivary-17A, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-18 in patients with celiac disease who are on a gluten-free diet, both with and without periodontitis, and to compare these levels with those in healthy individuals.

Methods: The study involved 23 participants with serologically confirmed celiac disease (CD) and 23 control subjects. The CD patients had been following a gluten-free diet (GFD) for a minimum of 1 year and had no other autoimmune disorders. The research involved collecting demographic data, conducting periodontal examinations, gathering unstimulated whole saliva, and performing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to measure salivary interleukin-17A, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-18 levels. Spearman's correlation analysis was utilized to explore the relationships between CD markers in patients on a GFD and their periodontal clinical findings.

Results: The periodontal findings indicated significantly lower values in celiac disease patients adhering to a gluten-free diet compared to control subjects (p = 0.001). No significant differences were found in salivary IL-17A, IL-18, and IL-1B levels between celiac disease patients and control subjects. Nevertheless, the levels of all interleukins were elevated in periodontitis patients in both the celiac and control groups. The IL-1 Beta level was significantly higher in periodontitis patients compared to non-periodontitis patients in the control group (p = 0.035). Significant negative correlations were observed between serum IgA levels and plaque index (r = -0.460, p = 0.010), as well as gingival index (r = -0.396, p = 0.030) in CD patients on a gluten-free diet.

Conclusion: Celiac disease patients on gluten-free diet exhibited better periodontal health compared to control subjects. However, increased levels of salivary IL-17A, IL-18 and IL-1B levels were associated with periodontitis. Additionally, serum IgA level was significantly inversely associated with periodontitis clinical manifestations and with salivary inflammatory mediators in CD patients on GFD.

Keywords: Celiac disease; Gluten free diet; Interleukin -1beta; Interleukin-17A; Interleukin-18; Periodontitis; Salivary.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Biomarkers / analysis
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Celiac Disease* / blood
  • Celiac Disease* / diagnosis
  • Celiac Disease* / diet therapy
  • Celiac Disease* / immunology
  • Diet, Gluten-Free*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-17* / analysis
  • Interleukin-17* / blood
  • Interleukin-17* / metabolism
  • Interleukin-18* / analysis
  • Interleukin-18* / blood
  • Interleukin-18* / metabolism
  • Interleukin-1beta / analysis
  • Interleukin-1beta / blood
  • Interleukin-1beta / metabolism
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Periodontitis* / blood
  • Periodontitis* / immunology
  • Periodontitis* / metabolism
  • Saliva* / chemistry
  • Saliva* / immunology
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • IL17A protein, human
  • IL18 protein, human

Associated data

  • figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.24250018.v2

Grants and funding

The authors were supported by the Deputyship of Research and Innovation, Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabi, by funding through the project number IF-2020-006-Dent, at the Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, College of Dentistry. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.