Association of interleukin-4 in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis

Background: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a frequent ulcerative inflammatory disorder of the mouth. Various localized, systemic, and immunologic factors have quite a function in oral tolerance, although the etiology of RAS remains unexplained. The previous studies suggest that there is a significant association (interleukin-4—IL-4) level between in case and control group with RAS in saliva, and no significant difference between IL-4 rs 2243266 gene polymorphism with RAS. Objectives: To determine the level of IL-4 in saliva and the association of IL-4 gene polymorphism with the incidence of RAS. Materials and Methods: The subjects enrolled in the present study were (80) subjects of both genders. The age range was from 20 to 60 years. This study is carried out to detect the association of IL-4 level with RAS by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique in Babylon Province, Iraq. The study sample consists of (80) subjects of both genders. The samples were divided into two groups including the patient group, (40) samples (female 21 and male 19) with RAS, and the control group (C) included (40) samples (20 females and males 20). Results: The results of the association between IL-4 level with RAS showed a significant association while the result of PCR sequencing found that there was no significant association of AG genotype of rs 2243266 with RAS with odd ratio 1.169 (0.54–2.54) 0.855 (0.39–1.86) and P-value 0.693. Conclusion: Females were more affected by RAS than males. There was a significant difference in IL-4 levels between the case and control groups.