Assessment of IL-38 And IL-40 Levels in Gingival Crevicular Fluid in Gingivitis and Stage III Grade C Periodontitis: A Comparative Clinical Study

Periodontal diseases are infections of the supporting apparatus of teeth caused by microbial agents, and cytokines have an important role in the inflammatory response. The purpose of this study is to measure the concentrations of interleukin-38 (IL-38) and interleukin-40 (IL-40) in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) in patients with stage III grade C periodontitis (SIII-GC), gingivitis and those with healthy periodontium. The study included a total of 75 people, 26 PH patients, 26 G patients, and 23 SIII-GC chronic periodontitis patients. Clinical parameters of a patient such as plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding upon probing (BOP), probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) were analyzed. GCF was collected and measured using the ELISA technique with IL-38 and IL-40 specific antibodies and kits. Interleukin-38 and interleukin-40 of the SIII-GC periodontitis group was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than other groups as regards normal gingival crevicular fluid IL-38 and IL-40 levels. However, differences in IL-38 and IL-40 levels were not significant between the two other groups: PH and G ones (P > 0.05). Positive correlation was found between GCF derived IL-38 and IL-40 levels with clinical periodontal parameters from sampled areas (P < 0.001). The strongest findings of this research indicate that within GCF, both IL-38 and IL-40 levels were elevated as total GCF IL-38 and total GCF IL-40 levels in different patients were high.