Dynamic salivary cytokine profile of recurrent aphthous stomatitis patients in thalidomide maintenance treatment

Objective

To dynamically compare the longitudinal (time axis) and transverse (between groups) differences of the salivary cytokines during thalidomide maintenance treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

Methods

A randomized, controlled, clinical trial was performed. After the initial prednisone treatment, thalidomide (50 mg/d vs. 25 mg/d) was used as a maintenance drug for 4 or 8 weeks. The salivary IL-4, 5, 6, 10, TNF-α, and IFN-γ were dynamically detected with a cytometric bead array.

Results

Overall, the level of six elevated salivary cytokines after prednisone treatment was significantly downregulated, remained low during thalidomide maintenance, and rebounded at recurrence. The effect of 50 mg/d thalidomide on the salivary cytokines was not superior to 25 mg/d medication. The relapse-free period following drug withdrawal was the longest in the subgroup using 25 mg/d thalidomide for 8 weeks. The order of magnitude of IL-6 was the most obvious, and at week 8, only the level of IL-6 in the group (25 mg/d thalidomide for 8 weeks) continued to decline compared with the other groups.

Conclusion

Thalidomide maintenance treatment can effectively sustain low levels of salivary IL-4, 5, 6, 10, TNF-α, and IFN-γ of recurrent aphthous stomatitis patients. IL-6 displayed a good correlation with the disease and is expected to become an index for diagnosis and follow-up.

Clinical relevance

Low-dose long-term thalidomide maintenance treatment was supported for recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

Trial registration

Trial registration number of ChiCTR‐IPR‐16009759 at http://www.chictr.org/index.aspx.