Local levels of inflammatory mediators in uncontrolled type 2 diabetic subjects with chronic periodontitis.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of a wide panel of cyto/chemokines in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of uncontrolled type 2 diabetic subjects as compared with non-diabetic subjects with periodontitis.

METHODS: Twenty-six uncontrolled type 2 diabetic subjects (glycated haemoglobin levels >7.5%) and 20 non-diabetic subjects with chronic periodontitis were enrolled in this study. The levels of 14 cyto/chemokines were measured in the GCF of healthy and diseased sites of the diabetic and non-diabetic subjects using multiplex bead immunoassays.

RESULTS: The concentrations of eotaxin, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interleukin (IL)-6, tumour necrosis factor-α and IL-12 were higher in healthy and diseased sites of diabetic than non-diabetic subjects, after adjustment for multiple comparisons (p < 0.0035).

CONCLUSION: Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus modulated the local levels of several cyto/chemokines at both healthy and diseased periodontal sites in favour of a proinflammatory profile, which may partially explain the greater susceptibility of diabetic subjects to periodontal breakdown.