Interleukin-12 modulates the immunomodulatory properties of human periodontal ligament cells.

Background And Objective: The cytokine interleukin 12 (IL-12) has been implicated as a potent stimulator of tissue degradation in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory diseases, including periodontitis. In patients with periodontitis, an increased level of IL-12 is found in serum and gingival crevicular fluid. As inflammatory cytokines have been demonstrated to induce activation of the immunomodulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), this study aimed to investigate the influence of IL-12 on these properties in human periodontal ligament (hPDL) cells.