Interleukin-11 - its role in the vicious cycle of inflammation, periodontitis and diabetes: A clinicobiochemical cross-sectional study.

Context: Interleukin-11 (IL-11) is a multifunctional cytokine with a probable regulatory role in the inflamed periodontal tissue. It has also been shown to inhibit the production of potent proinflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor-alpha, IL-6 and IL-1β in vitro. Type 2 diabetes mellitus, which demonstrates an increase in proinflammatory cytokines, might hypothetically, display a decrease in the levels of IL-11, which down-regulates synthesis of the proinflammatory cytokines.