Serum and salivary interleukin‑1β level in oral precancer: An observational study

Abstract

Background and Aim: Precancer biomarkers help in early detection and management of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). Interleukin‑1β (IL‑1β), a biomarker, is known to be altered in oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) and oral leukoplakia (OL). Therefore, we evaluated and compared the serum and salivary IL‑1β levels in patients with OSMF/oral leukoplakia and in gender‑ and age‑matched healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: An in vivo, prospective, observational study was conducted on 40 subjects. Subjects were divided into two groups with 20 individuals in each group, that is, Group I: OSMF/oral leukoplakia and Group II: control group. Salivary and serum IL‑1β levels were quantitatively estimated using enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The statistical tests used were unpaired t‑test and Chi‑square test. Results: The serum IL‑1β levels were significantly (P 0.001) lesser in Group I in comparison to Group II. The salivary IL‑1β levels remained insignificant between both the groups. However, in both the groups, the salivary IL‑1β levels were significantly higher compared to the serum IL‑1β levels. Conclusion: We found that the serum IL‑1β level can be considered as a prospective biomarker for dysplasia, whereas salivary IL‑1β alone needs more elaborated studies to account for its application as a potential biomarker in OPMD.