Abstract
This study was designed to examine the tissue levels of interleukin-$1{\alpha}$(IL-$1{\alpha}$), interleukin-$1{\beta}$(IL-$1{\beta}$) and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$(TNF-${\alpha}$) in inflamed human dental pulps and periapical lesions, and to determine the relationship between each cytokine and pulpal and periapical pathosis. The pulps used in this experiment, were obtained in routine endodontic treatment and the periapical lesions in periapical surgery after clinical diagnoses were performed. These specimens were divided into four groups as normal pulp group(control group, n=9), acute pulpitis group(n=g), chronic pulpitis group(n= 10) and periapical lesion group(n= 18) and stored in liquid N2. For extract preparation, tissues were finely minced with a scalpel, and the fragments were incubated in $0.5m\ell$ homogenizing buffer (0.1 mol/L potassium chloride, 0.02 mol/L TRIS; pH=7.6) for two hours and grinded with glass homogenizer. Debris was removed by centrifugation and supernatants were immediately tested with enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA, R&D Co., Minneapolis, USA). Following results were obtained; 1. The concentrations of IL-$1{\alpha}$ in all experimental groups were significantly higher than in control group(p<0.05). And the concentrations of IL-$1{\alpha}$ in periapical lesion group were somewhat higher than in two pulpitis groups, but the differences among those groups were not stastically significant (p>0.05). 2. The concentrations of IL-$1{\beta}$ in all experimental groups were significantly higher than in control group (p<0.05), and all the experimental groups expressed similar concentrations. 3. The concentrations of TNF-${\alpha}$ in all experimental groups were higher than in control group but only the differences between chronic pulpitis group and control group were statistically significant(p<0.05). And the concentrations of TNF-${\alpha}$ in acute and chronic pulpit is groups were higher than in periapical lesion group but only the differences between chronic pulpitis group and periapical lesion group were statistically significant (p<0.05). 4. There was significant correlation only between IL-$1{\alpha}$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ in periapical lesion group (p<0.05).