[Cytokines and cytokine receptors in mouth mucosa of immune suppressed patients].

In vitro studies on epithelial cells suggest that cyclosporin (CsA) inhibits a pathway of production of IL-6, which is mediated by TNF alpha and E. coli. The aim of the present immunohistochemical study was therefore to evaluate the content and location of cytokines and cytokine receptors in the oral mucosa of 10 patients with CsA medication. Ten patients without immunosuppression served as controls. Specimens were procured during surgical treatment and processed by paraffin embedding and as cryosections. Expression of TNF alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-6-receptor was present both in the epithelial layer and the submucosal tissues, but did not differ very greatly between patients with CsA therapy and the controls. IL-6, however, displayed a positive reaction only in the control group, while it was invisible in the group of patients with CsA medication. The immunohistochemical findings of the present study suggest that there may be a lack of mucosal expression of IL-6 under CsA medication. With regard to the broad spectrum of possible effects of proinflammatory cytokines and their multiple interactions, the functional relevance of these findings merits further investigation.