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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Inducing Apical Periodontitis in Mice
Published on: August 6, 2019
Interleukin-17 plays a role in exacerbation of inflammation within chronic periapical lesions
Miodrag Colić1, Sasa Vasilijić, Dragan Gazivoda
1Institute for Medical Research, Clinic for Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Military Medical Academy, Crnotravska 17, 11002 Belgrade, Serbia. vmaimi@EUnet.yu
Abstract:
Interleukin (IL)-17 plays an important role in inflammation and certain autoimmune diseases. However, its role in the pathogenesis of chronic dental periapical lesions has not been studied. Periapical lesion mononuclear cells (PL-MNC) were isolated from inflammatory cells and phenotypically analyzed by immunocytochemistry. The cells were cultured in vitro and IL-17 and IL-8 were measured in the culture supernatants. Controls were peripheral blood (PB) MNC. The level of IL-17 and the proportion of neutrophils were significantly higher in symptomatic lesions. In addition, the production of IL-17 was higher in culture supernatants of PL-MNC isolated from lesions with a predominance of T cells, and the IL-17 concentration correlated with the proportion of CD3+ and CD4+ cells. There was a positive correlation between the levels of IL-17 and IL-8 in the group of symptomatic lesions. The relationship between these cytokines was additionally confirmed on the basis of augmented production of IL-8 by both PL-MNC and PB-MNC treated with IL-17. Our results suggest that IL-17, by stimulating the production of IL-8, may play a role in exacerbating inflammation within chronic periapical lesions.
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