Salivary Inflammatory Biomarkers in Males With Nephrolithiasis Correlate With Periodontal Status: A CaseControl Study
الباحث الأول:
Narjes Moneem Alhelfi
الباحثين الآخرين:
Ali Hadi Fahad, Salah M. Ibrahim, Sabah Qaysar Musa
المجلة:
BioMed Research International
تاريخ النشر:
9 يوليو، 2026
مختصر البحث:
Background: Systemic inflammation links periodontal disease (PD) and nephrolithiasis. Proinflammatory cytokines like IL-6,
IL-8, TNF-α, IL-1β, and MMP-8 are implicated in both conditions. This study investigates salivary levels of these biomarkers …
Background: Systemic inflammation links periodontal disease (PD) and nephrolithiasis. Proinflammatory cytokines like IL-6,
IL-8, TNF-α, IL-1β, and MMP-8 are implicated in both conditions. This study investigates salivary levels of these biomarkers in
young adult males with kidney stones and their association with periodontal status (CPITN) and body mass index (BMI).
Methods: This case-control study enrolled 109 males (25–35 years): 52 with kidney stones and 57 healthy controls. Unstimulated
whole saliva was analyzed for IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, IL-1β, and MMP-8 via ELISA. Periodontal health was assessed using the community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN). Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and BMI were also measured.
Results: The kidney stone group had significantly higher salivary IL-6 (3.95 [2.0–5.2]pg/mL vs. 2.7 [1.5–4.0]pg/mL; adj.
p = 0.042) and TNF-α (11.99 [8.5–13.8]pg/mL vs. 9.5 [7.0–11.6]pg/mL; adj. p = 0.021) than controls. Differences in IL-1β (adj.
p = 0.051) and MMP-8 (adj. p = 0.058) showed a consistent trend toward elevation but did not retain statistical significance after
FDR correction. No significant difference was observed in salivary IL-8 levels (adj. p = 0.120). Patients also showed elevated
CRP (p = 0.010) and worse CPITN scores (p = 0.002). In the kidney stone group, salivary IL-6, TNF-α, and MMP-8 positively
correlated with CPITN scores (p < 0.01), whereas TNF-α also correlated with BMI (p = 0.048).
Conclusion: Elevated salivary inflammatory biomarkers (IL-6 and TNF-α) are significantly associated with kidney stones and
periodontal status (CPITN) in young males, whereas IL-1β and MMP-8 showed a trend toward elevation. Salivary analysis may
be a noninvasive tool for assessing systemic inflammation and identifying at-risk individuals.
