evaluation of nlrp3 and il-18 levels after periodontal therapy

The progression of periodontitis depends on interactions between the periodontal pathogens and the host immune cytokines, including interleukin (il)-1β and il-18. production of il-1β is regulated by nod-like receptors family pyrin domain containing 3 (nlrp3). this study aimed to evaluate the effect of periodontal treatment on the concentrations of il-18 and nlrp3 in patients with chronic periodontitis. in this experimental study, 18 patients with chronic periodontitis and a mean age of 46.2±8.95 years, were included. the gingival crevicular fluid (gcf) was collected at the beginning of the study, 4 weeks after non-surgical (phase i), and 4 weeks after surgical periodontal treatment. the levels of nlrp3 and il-18 were measured; using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. pearson correlation test was used to analyze the concentration of nlrp3 and il-18 before and after the treatments with cal and pd. there was a significant association between the level of nlrp3 and the mean values of pd and cal before treatment. after each treatment phase, a significant decrease was observed in the nlrp3 level. there was no significant relationship between il-18 and clinical parameters before and after periodontal treatments. given the possible association between the level of nlrp3 and clinical parameters, we suggest it as a possible indicator of inflammation in chronic periodontitis and an index for evaluating the treatment outcome.