Characteristics of salivary inflammation in obesity

The discovery of the secretory function of adipose tissue has led to a new direction in research on obesity‑ related health problems. Adipokines are present not only in blood but also in saliva. Numerous studies have indicated that obesity affects salivary concentrations of adipokines.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of selected inflammatory markers in saliva and to determine their discriminatory value in obese individuals.

The study included 125 patients (82 women and 43 men), aged from 20 to 65 years. There were 59 patients with obesity (body mass index [BMI] >30 kg/m2) and 66 controls with normal body weight (BMI <25 kg/m2). Mixed saliva samples were collected from all participants to determine the concentrations of the following inflammatory markers: tumor necrosis factor‑ α receptors 1 and 2, pentraxin 3, interleukin 15, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1, and soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L).

Compared with controls, individuals with obesity had significantly higher levels of all inflammatory markers except sCD40L levels, which were lower. The salivary marker sCD40L seems to have the best discriminatory value in obesity regardless of sex, with the optimal cutoff point of 3.28 pg/ml and the area under the curve of 0.8.

Obesity may be associated with altered levels of selected inflammatory markers in saliva. The discriminatory values determined in this study may facilitate the diagnosis of metabolic diseases.