Comparative evaluation of IL-17 and TGF-ß expression intissues of patients with chronic periodontitis and healthy individuals using real-time PCR

Background. the present study aimed to determine the association between periodontal disease and the th17/treg balance by examining the genetic expression of il-17 and tgf-ß, which influence incidence and suppression of inflammation. methods. in this case-control study, samples were collected in a randomized and task-oriented order. thirty-seven patients referred to professional periodontology clinics in mashhad and the periodontology department of the mashhad dentistry faculty for periodontal (case) or crown-length (control) surgery was enrolled. il-17 and tgf-ß gene expression indices were measured in tissue samples by real-time polymerase chain reaction. results. the il-17 gene expression index was higher in the case group (2.68±0.91) than in the control group (1.68±0.41), but this difference was not significant. the tgf-ß gene expression index was significantly higher in the case group (54.42±7.88) than in the control group (24.12±3.38). conclusion. l-17 and tgf-ß expression is increased in chronic periodontitis patients, but tgf-ß plays a more important role in periodontal inflammation in patients with chronic periodontitis. further studies of the roles of th17 and treg cells are war-ranted.