Immunocytochemical localization of inflammatory cytokines and vascular adhesion receptors in radicular cysts.

Odontogenic cysts are one of the commonest bone destroying lesions of the maxillofacial skeleton, with the inflammatory radicular cyst being the commonest jaw cyst. Explants of radicular cysts produce an interleukin-1-like activity which could explain the osteolysis seen with these tumours though the cellular source of this osteolytic activity is unknown. In the present study, cytokines with known inflammatory and osteolytic activity: interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumour necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and the chemotactic cytokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) have been localized immunocytochemically in radicular cysts. The cellular adhesion receptors ICAM-1 and ELAM-1 have also been immunolocalized. All specimens showed positive staining for IL-1 (alpha and beta) and IL-6, with these cytokines being located in epithelial and vascular endothelial cells. Only two specimens demonstrated TNF and IL-8 staining, which was located in macrophages. All specimens demonstrated ELAM-1 staining in endothelium and ICAM-1 staining in epithelium, endothelium and mononuclear cells. These findings show that radicular cysts contain two bone-modulating cytokines, IL-1 and IL-6, and that these appear to be synthesized mainly by the epithelial cells. Cysts also contain a proportion of activated blood vessels whose endothelial cells express the cellular adhesion receptors ICAM-1 and ELAM-1.