IL-1α and IL-1β Levels in Blood Serum and Saliva of Menopausal Women

Objective. The aim of this study was to examine the level of IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta in serum and saliva of postmenopausal women. Design. The study was designed to verify the possibility of using the salivary concentration of interleukin 1 as a marker in the diagnosis of osteoporosis. Materials and methods. The study involved a group of 60 women during menopause-30 untreated and 30 treated with hormone replacement therapy. Patients were examined and anamnesis questionnaire was filled. Blood and saliva samples were collected. Densitometry was conducted on the femoral bone in order to compare the bone mineral density (BMD) of different research groups. Results. There were no significant differences in the concentrations of interleukins in the various research groups. The results of densitometric analysis showed a positive impact of hormone replacement therapy on the BMD (0.91-0.92 g/cm(2)) compared with the density in the group not treated with hormone therapy (0.77-0.8 g/cm(2)). There was no relationship between concentration of interleukins and the level of BMD. Conclusions. Further research on the level of cytokines in serum and saliva conducted on a broader group of patients is required. Determination of markers of bone turnover can be useful in the assessment of the treatment of metabolic bone changes.