Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2025
05:16
Author Spotlight: Enhancing Dental Pulp Research with Improved Mouse Models
Published on: October 27, 2023
944
Exploring Relationships Between Circulating Interleukins and Pulp and Periapical Diseases: A Bidirectional Mendelian
Yuqiang Wang1, Jiakang Zhu1, Yueli Zhou1
1State Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Journal of Endodontics
|November 23, 2024
Summary
Genetic predisposition to endodontic diseases involves specific interleukins (ILs). Elevated IL-17 may increase risk, while IL-16 shows protective effects, offering potential therapeutic targets for oral health.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Immunology
- Oral Health
Background:
- Genetic predisposition plays a role in endodontic diseases.
- Interleukins (ILs) are key inflammatory mediators.
- Understanding the genetic links between ILs and endodontic diseases is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal relationships between genetic predisposition to 13 common circulating interleukins (ILs) and endodontic diseases.
- To utilize a robust 2-sample Mendelian randomization method for evaluating these associations.
- To identify specific ILs that may serve as biomarkers or therapeutic targets for endodontic disorders.
Main Methods:
- Employed a 2-sample Mendelian randomization approach.
- Selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as instrumental variables from genome-wide association studies (GWASs).
- Utilized inverse-variance-weighted (IVW) method as primary analysis, supplemented by sensitivity analyses to ensure robustness and detect pleiotropy.
Main Results:
- Identified 4 circulating ILs significantly associated with endodontic diseases after multiple comparison correction.
- Circulating IL-17 was a significant risk-increasing factor for pulp and periapical diseases (ORIVW = 1.33).
- Circulating IL-16 demonstrated a protective effect against periapical abscess development (ORIVW = 0.89).
- Reverse analyses showed no significant association between endodontic disease liability and circulating inflammatory biomarkers.
- Sensitivity analyses confirmed the reliability and direction of the primary findings.
Conclusions:
- Elevated IL-16 levels may mitigate the risk of endodontic disorders.
- Elevated IL-17 levels appear to have deleterious effects on endodontic health.
- These findings highlight the potential of IL-16 and IL-17 as targets for therapeutic strategies in oral healthcare.
- Further validation studies are recommended to confirm these associations and explore clinical applications.
