Salivary Levels of Human Neutrophil Peptide (HNP) 1-3 in Patients with Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis and Behçet’s Disease: A Cross-sectional Study in Iran

Background: Recurrent oral ulcers are the most common complaint of patients with Behçet’s disease (BD) and recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). Enhanced innate immune response and neutrophilic activity might be a possible etiopathogenesis of BD. This study aimed to determine the significance of salivary human neutrophil peptide (HNP 1-3) in BD and RAS patients and detect their correlation with different clinical presentations, disease activity, and characteristics of oral ulcers. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 25 BD patients and 25 RAS patients as well as 25 healthy participants. Five cubic centimeters of unstimulated saliva was collected and levels of HNP 1-3 were measured by ELISA. Other data were obtained through interviews, examinations, and reviews of medical records. Finally, data analysis was performed using SPSS 25.0 software. Results: Salivary HNP 1-3 levels were not significantly different between the study groups (P=0.282). Duration of oral ulcers did not correlate with HNP 1-3 levels in RAS and BD patients (P > 0.05). Also, BD patients with involvements other than oral ulcers were not found to have different levels of HNP 1-3 compared to those who did not manifest these conditions. Conclusion: The validity of HNP 1-3 to be used as a probable biological marker for evaluation, diagnosis, and estimation of disease activity in patients with BD and RAS is still questionable according to our results.