Matrix metalloproteases and proinflammatory proteins in serum as markers for the efficiency of temporomandibular joint disorders therapy

Background. Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD) is characterized by pain and dysfunction in the temporomandibular joint structures and TMJD-associated muscular apparatus. As of recently, the research on TMJD biomarkers still aims to find more diagnostic agents, no recent study employs the biomarker as a targeting point of pharmacotherapy to suppress the inflammatory responses. This article represents an explicit identification of the biomarkers of TMJD and provides possible future directions towards further research on these biomarkers. Purpose – of the work is to demonstrate the potential connections between TMJD and biochemical markers responsible for muscle and connective tissue degradation and inflammation, using the example of non-drug therapy of dysfunction by the muscle deprogramming method. Materials and Methods. To evaluate essential matrix metalloproteases (MMP1 and MMP3) and proinflammatory proteins in serum from TMJD patients, an ELISA assay was performed in 24 TMJD patients and 12 healthy controls matched for age and gender. Results. We found that in the TMJD group, the serum concentrations of MMP-1 and MMP-3 were similar to those in controls in all groups, but several determinants (C-reactive protein, IL-1β), compared to the control group, had values outside the normal reference area and were significantly reduced by the therapy. Conclusions. Results from our study suggest that serum MMP1 and MMP3 should not be used as a biomarker of TMJD but C-reactive protein and IL-1β are potential diagnostic biochemical markers for patients with TMJD.