Comparison of serum interleukin-8 levels in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis and healthy individuals

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is one of the most common inflammatory diseases affecting the oral mucosa; therefore an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-8 may be expected. The aim of this study was to compare serum IL-8 levels in patients with RAS and healthy individuals. Eighty patients without a history of systemic disease were selected from those referred to the Department of Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, during May 2005 to Feb 2006. The study and control groups consisted of 40 patients (19 males and 21 females; mean age, 25.08 years) with RAS and 40 healthy cases (23 males and 17 females; mean age, 25.5 years), respectively. Whole blood (10/ml) was obtained from all participants and the serum was separated and stored at -70ºC, until used. Serum IL-8 levels were measured by ELISA. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test (p<0.01). The mean serum IL-8 level was 52.24 pg/ml in the RAS group and 5.01 pg/ml in the control group which showed a 10-fold increase in RAS patients (P<0.01). These levels were greater than the upper limit of normal serum concentration in 35 (87.5%) of the RAS subjects (16 males, 19 females) and was within normal range in 5 (12.5%) cases (3 males, 2 females). Thirty-seven (92.5%) of the healthy individuals demonstrated normal levels while 3 (7.5%) showed increased amounts. In this study, a significant increase in the mean serum IL-8 level was observed in the RAS group.