Recurrent aphthous stomatitis and gene variability in selected interleukins: a case-control study

Plants with Anti-Ulcer Activity and Mechanism: A Review of Preclinical and Clinical Studies

Ulcer disorders including the oral mucosa, large intestine, and stomach mucosa, cause significant global health burdens. Conventional treatments such as non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), histamine H2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs), and cytoprotective agents have drawbacks like mucosal injury, diminish gastric acid secretion, and interact with concurrent medications. Therefore, alternative therapeutic approaches are needed to tackle this health concern. Plants are rich in active metabolites in the bark, roots, leaves, fruits, and seeds, and have been utilized for medicinal purposes since ancient times. The use of herbal therapy is crucial, and regulations are necessary to ensure the quality of products, particularly in randomized studies, to assess their efficacy and safety in treating ulcer disorders. This study aims to explore the anti-ulcer activity of medicinal plants in treating peptic ulcer disease, ulcerative colitis, and aphthous ulcers. Articles were searched in Scopus and PubMed, and filtered for publication from 2013 to 2023, resulting in a total of 460 from Scopus and 239 from PubMed. The articles were further screened by title and abstract and resulted in 55 articles. Natural products, rich in active metabolites, were described to manage ulcer disease by protecting the mucosa, reducing ulcer effects, inhibiting pro-inflammatory factors, and reducing bacterial load, thus improving patients' quality of life. Natural extracts have proven effective in managing other health problems, including ulcers by reducing pain and decreasing lesions. This review provides an overview of preclinical and clinical studies on medicinal plants, focusing on their effectiveness in treating conditions like peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis, and aphthous ulcers.

Association of Surfactant Protein D Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms rs721917, rs2243639, rs3088308 with Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis in Pakistani Population

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a benign ulcerative condition, defined by the recurrent formation of non-contagious mucosal ulcers. Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is secreted frequently at surfaces exposed directly to body fluids. This study aims to investigate the association of SP-D single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the onset of RAS. Blood samples from 212 subjects (106 cases/controls each) were collected during 2019 and genotyped for SP-D SNPs (rs721917, rs2243639, rs3088308) by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism followed by 12% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Minor aphthous (75.5%) was the commonly observed ulcer type as compared to herpetiform (21.7%) and major aphthous ulcers (2.8%). A family history of RAS was reported in 70% of cases. RAS was found significantly associated with rs3088308 genotypes T/A (95% (Cl): 1.57-5.03, p = 0.0005), A/A (95% (Cl): 1.8-6.7, p = 0.0002), T-allele (95% (Cl): 1.09-2.36, p = 0.01), A-allele (95% (Cl): 1.42-3.91, p = 0.01), rs721917 genotype T/T (95% (Cl): 1.15-25.35, p = 0.03), and T-allele (95% (Cl): 1.28-3.10, p = 0.002). Female gender and obese body mass index (BMI) were significantly associated with rs3088308 genotypes T/A (95% (CI): 1.89-15.7, p = 0.001), T/T (95% (Cl): 1.52-11.9, p = 0.005), A-allele (95% (Cl): 1.65-7.58, p < 0.001), and T-allele (95% (Cl): 1.4-10.1, p <0.001) and rs721917 genotype T/T (95% (CI) = 1.3-33, p = 0.02), respectively. This study describes the association of SP-D SNPs (rs721917, rs3088308) with RAS in the Pakistani population.

Healing of Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis by Non-Thermal Plasma: Pilot Study

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common disease in the oral cavity characterized by recurrent ulcers (RU). Usually, these cause acute pain without definitive treatment. The present study determines the efficacy of non-thermal plasma (NTP) for treating RU. NTP is applied to the patient's RU using a radiofrequency generator connected to a point reactor. The power density applied to the ulcer is 0.50 W/cm², less than 4 W/cm², which is the maximum value without biological risk. Each patient received two treatments of three minutes each and spaced 60 min apart at a distance of 5 mm from the RU. From a sample of 30 ulcers in patients treated for RU with an average age of 37 years, they stated that the pain decreased considerably and without the need for ingestion of analgesics and antibiotics. Regeneration took place in an average of three days. The NTP proved to be an excellent therapeutic alternative for the treatment of RU since it has a rapid effect of reducing pain and inflammation, as well as adequate tissue regeneration.

The expression of TNF-α in recurrent aphthous stomatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The pathogenesis of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is related to an increase of pro-inflammatory cytokine, namely tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). This cytokine plays an important role in the development of ulcer lesions, both in saliva, tissues and blood. This systematic review analyzed the differences of TNF-α in lesions, salivary and blood and can be used as a reliable method of diagnosis for RAS.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus databases, Web of Science, Scielo, Google Scholar and Embase with keywords. The inclusion criteria were studies that assessed the saliva, serum, and RAS lesion, with the outcome reporting the mean of saliva, serum and tissue expression of TNF-α. The risk of bias was also assessed.

RESULT

Healthy individuals showed significantly lower TNF-α than RAS (SMD = -1.517, 95% CI [-2.25, -0.78]). Although there is a significant difference between sample (i.e., saliva, serum) and detection type (i.e., cytometry bead array, ELISA), both methods can detect a significant difference in TNF-α between healthy individuals and RAS patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The TNF-α is a useful diagnostic marker for RAS. We encourage saliva to detect changes in TNF-α during ulceration as it provides accuracy, reliability, and non-invasive procedure compared to a blood draw.

Correlation between interleukin gene polymorphisms and current prevalence and mortality rates due to novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) in 23 countries

Background

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) infection may rely on a potential genetic background for the variations in the inflammatory response. We aimed to investigate the possible correlation between polymorphisms in the IL‐6 gene at rs1800796/rs1800795, in IL‐6R at rs2228145, in IL‐10 at rs1800896 and rs1800871, in IL‐17 at rs2275913 and rs763780 loci, and COVID‐19 prevalence and mortality rates among populations of 23 countries.

Methods

We searched the literature for polymorphisms in China, Japan, India, Spain, Mexico, Sweden, Turkey, Brazil, Russia, Poland, Italy, South Africa, Netherlands, Greece, Germany, UK, Iran, Finland, Czechia, Tunisia, Norway, Egypt, Croatia. We recorded the prevalence and mortality rates (per million) caused by the Coronavirus infection recorded on 7th September 2020 and 6th December 2020.

Results

There was a significant positive correlation between the frequency of AG genotype of rs1800896 and prevalence recorded on 6th December 2020 (r: 0.53, r²: 0.28, p < .05). There was a significant negative correlation between the mortality rates recorded on 7th September, and the AG genotype of rs2275913 (r: −0.51, r²: 0.26, p < .05). There was a significant positive correlation between the prevalence recorded on 6th December, and TT genotype at rs763780 (r: 0.65, r²:0.42, p < .05) while a negative correlation between prevalence and TC genotype at rs763780 (r: −0.66, r²: 0.43, p < .05). Also, a significant negative correlation was found between mortality rates recorded on 6th December 2020 and CC genotype at rs763780 (r: −0.56, r²: 0.31, p < .05).

Conclusion

The variations in prevalence of COVID‐19 and its mortality rates among countries may be explained by the polymorphisms at rs1800896 in IL‐10, rs2275913 in IL‐17A, and rs763780 loci in the IL‐17F gene.

The variations in prevalence of COVID‐19 and its mortality rates among 23 countries may be explained by the polymorphisms at rs1800896 in IL‐10, rs2275913 in IL‐17A, and rs763780 loci in the IL‐17F gene.

AG genotype frequency of rs1800896 was positively correlated with prevalence recorded on 6th December 2020.

The mortality rates recorded on 7th September was negatively correlated with AG genotype frequency of rs2275913.

The prevalence recorded on 6th December was positively correlated with frequency of TT and negatively with TC genotype at rs763780.

The mortality rates recorded on 6th December 2020 was negatively correlated with CC genotype frequency at rs763780.

Interleukin Gene Variability and Periodontal Bacteria in Patients with Generalized Aggressive Form of Periodontitis

Host genetic predispositions to dysregulated immune response can influence the development of the aggressive form of periodontitis (AgP) through susceptibility to oral dysbiosis and subsequent host-microbe interaction. This case-control study aimed to perform a multilocus analysis of functional variants in selected interleukin (IL) genes in patients with the generalized form of AgP in a homogenous population. Twelve polymorphisms in IL-1 gene cluster, IL-6 and its receptor, IL-10, IL-17A, and IL-18 were determined in 91 AgP patients and 210 controls. Analysis of seven selected periodontal bacteria in subgingival sulci/pockets was performed with a commercial DNA-microarray kit in a subgroup of 76 individuals. The pilot in vitro study included stimulation of peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC) from 20 individuals with periodontal bacteria and measurement of IL-10 levels using the Luminex method. Only the unctional polymorphism IL-10 −1087 A/G (rs1800896) and specific IL-10 haplotypes were associated with the development of the disease (p < 0.05, P_corr > 0.05). Four bacterial species occurred more frequently in AgP than in controls (p < 0.01, P_corr < 0.05). Elevated IL-10 levels were found in AgP patients, carriers of IL-10 −1087GG genotype, and PBMCs stimulated by periodontal bacteria (p < 0.05, P_corr > 0.05). We therefore conclude that a combination of genetic predisposition to the altered expression of IL-10 and the presence of specific periodontal bacteria may contribute to Th1/Th2 balance disruption and AgP development.