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(CC BY-NC 4.0).
Background:Oral complications are common in women using chemotherapy and are commonly attributed to the
systemic inflammation and immune silencing. Nevertheless, the biochemical association of particular oral
manifestations and inflammatory biomarkers in Iraqi women has not been explicitly determined.
Objective:This research paper was done to examine the relation between oral manifestations (ulcer, stomatitis, and
periodontitis) and the serum concentration of interleukin-6 (IL-6), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and
indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO) in Iraqi women under chemotherapy treatment.
Methods:Eighty-six chemotherapy treated women were utilized and categorized in the presence or the absence of
oral manifestations. The concentration of IL-6, MMP-9 and the IDO was measured using serum and statistically
analyzed between the affected and unaffected group.
Results: In those with oral ulcers, significantly higher levels of IL-6 (23.5 +- 5.8 vs. 16.7 +- 4.2 pg/mL; p = 0.001),
MMP-9 (459.2 +- 68.5 vs. 392.4 +- 70.2 ng/mL; p = 0.004) and IDO (2.88 +- 0.71 vs. 2.41 +- 0.63 U The high-level
of IL-6 and MMP-9 were also observed in the women with stomatitis and periodontitis as compared to those who
did not have them.
Conclusion:The results imply that IL-6, MMP-9, and IDO are important in the pathogenesis of oral manifestations
in Iraqi women who are under chemotherapy. These biomarkers could be the indicators of the overall inflammation
of the system caused by cytotoxic treatment and could be used as the signs of early detection and treatment of oral
complications during chemotherapy