Blood Plasma Cytokine Concentration in Female Rats with Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis

Plasma concentrations of some cytokines were analyzed in female rats at different time points (on days 14 and 28) after induction of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis via injection of sodium monoiodoacetate. Under these conditions, the concentrations of IL-6 and IL-10 in animals with temporomandibular joint dysfunction were lower than in intact animals at both the relatively early (day 14) and late (day 28) stages of observation. The level of TNFα in rats with experimental arthritis at the later stage of the study was higher than at the early stage. The observed changes may reflect a compensatory adjustment of immune mechanisms aimed at limiting the inflammatory response at different stages of its development.