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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Oct 1.
Published in final edited form as: Bone. 2022 Jul 20;163:116500. doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2022.116500

Figure 2.

Figure 2.

Gingival Th17/IL-17 axis in health and periodontal disease.

In health IL-6, primarily derived by oral epithelial cells in response to mechanical forces of mastication, induces Th17. In periodontitis, homeostatic IL-6 and IL-23 induced by the dysbiotic microbiota leads to pathogenic expansion of Th17 which drives immune pathology through their cytokine IL17A via neutrophil dependent and independent mechanisms. Ultimately osteoclast activation mediates alveolar bone loss.