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Evaluation of Salivary Interleukin-12, Interleukin-23 Levels in Patients with Oral Lichen Planus and Squamous Cell Carcinoma


 Objectives The present study aimed to evaluate interleukin-12 (IL-12) and IL-23 in the saliva of patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
 Materials and Methods Thirty cases with clinical and histopathological OLP (bilateral lesions, papular and reticular lesions, and Wickham lines) (Group A), 30 with oral SCCs (OSCCs) (Group B), and 30 with no history of oral cancer, other lesions, or lichen planus (Group C) were enrolled at the Department of Oral Medicine School of Dentistry, Zahedan, Iran. The whole unstimulated saliva was collected and the salivary concentration of IL-12 and IL-23 was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the laboratory.
 Statistical Analysis Data were analyzed using Kruskal–Wallis, Mann–Whitney tests, and Pearson’s correlation coefficients.
 Results In the present study, salivary IL-12 and IL-23 levels were higher in OSCC patients than in OLP and healthy individuals.
 Conclusions The results show that although IL-23 and IL-12 cytokines have an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic immunity and inflammatory diseases, further studies are required to assess matrix metalloproteinase links with tumor invasion.