Impact of Human Milk Interleukin 6 in Lactating Mothers with Chronic Periodontitis on Infants Growth

ABSTRACT

Background: Chronic periodontitis is a multifactorial disease which has several promoting effect on general health and when the lactating mothers are affected the cytokines associated with it is secreted in milk that had a severe effect on the health of the infant. Interleukin-6 is an anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokine with extensive range as a biological mediator in chronic inflammation of periodontal disease; its elevation had an effect on infant growth. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of interleukin-6 in human milk on infant’s growth. Materials and methods: A comparative study includes lactating mothers with age range 30-40 years and their infants with age range 3-12 months. The study group includes mothers with chronic periodontitis and the control group includes 45 mothers with healthy periodontium. Milk interleukin-6 is measured in lactating mothers by using the enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). Infant growth was recorded according to CDC growth charts and National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys in 2007. Results: The results show mothers with chronic periodontitis have a higher level of milk IL6 than mothers with healthy periodontium; the result was statistically highly significant, even though the result of the effect of milk IL6 on infant’s growth wasn’t significant statistically. Conclusion: Mothers with chronic periodontitis have a higher level of milk IL6 than mothers with healthy periodontium. High level of proinflammatory milk IL6 will effect infant growth and result in retardation of normal infant growth like underweight, overweight and short stature infants. High level of milk interleukin 6 in mothers with chronic periodontitis could influence negatively on their infant’s growth.