The role of IL1β, IL6, and IL10 genetic variants in susceptibility to recurrent aphthous stomatitis: A systematic review and bioinformatics approach

Abstract

Objective

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common inflammatory condition of the oral mucosa with a multifactorial etiology, in which cytokine dysregulation is believed to play a central role. However, studies evaluating interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 levels and their genetic variants in RAS have yielded inconsistent results, likely due to population heterogeneity and methodological differences.

Materials and methods

This systematic review synthesizes current evidence on the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL1β, IL6, and IL10 and susceptibility to RAS.

Result

Population-based studies and meta-analyses identified recurrent associations involving IL1β (rs1143634, rs16944), IL6 (rs1800795), and IL10 (rs1800896, rs1800872), although results varied across ethnic groups. These genetic variants may influence cytokine expression or secretion, thereby shaping the inflammatory response. Complementary bioinformatics analyses revealed rare missense variants—IL1β (rs1558783084, rs1273629321), IL6 (rs569143621, rs767924065), and IL10 (rs1674874269, rs1674734957)—with high predicted pathogenicity scores (cumulative score 4–5), yet exceedingly low allele frequencies (AF < 0.0001) in global datasets.

Conclusion

These findings highlight the complex interplay between genetic predisposition and population-specific factors in RAS. Further large-scale, multiethnic studies integrating functional validation are required to elucidate the precise contribution of cytokine gene variants to disease pathogenesis.