Table 2.

ΔC_t values of the systemic expression of genes important for immunity, wound healing and barrier function in subjects (N = 93) stratified by exposure to N-BP and the occurrence of N-BP-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ)

	Controls (n = 26)	Oral N-BP (n = 30)	i.v. N-BP* (n = 31)	ONJ (n = 6)	p value
Cytokines
RANK a	0.95 ± 0.09	0.95 ± 0.03	0.94 ± 0.06	1.0 ± 0.13*	0.026
RANKL a	1.0 ± 0.08	0.98 ± 0.04^	0.97 ± 0.05^^	1.1 ± 0.1	0.007
TNFA	8.1 ± 1.4	7.6 ± 1.3	7.5 ± 1.8	10.2 ± 1.7	0.001
IL17	12.6 ± 1.6	13.4 ± 0.97	12.8 ± 1.1	13.3 ± 3.0	0.129
IFNG	13.8 ± 4.5	14.8 ± 3.9	15.5 ± 3.0	11.9 ± 1.3	0.109
IL1B	10.8 ± 1.4	10.7 ± 1.1	10.7 ± 0.96	10.5 ± 1.1	0.942
Growth and wound healing factors
FGF9	11.3 ± 1.8	10.7 ± 0.8	10.1 ± 1.1***	12.9 ± 0.9*	<0.001
GMCSF	14.7 ± 1.6	14.2 ± 1.1	14.0 ± 1.3	16.4 ± 1.7*	0.001
CTGF a	0.86 ± 0.14	0.79 ± 0.10	0.80 ± 0.11	0.93 ± 0.14	0.013
MMP7 a	0.86 ± 0.08	0.85 ± 0.05	0.84 ± 0.08^	0.93 ± 0.16	0.040
MMP9 a	0.96 ± 0.07	0.95 ± 0.10	0.96 ± 0.09	0.92 ± 0.10	0.611
Response to challenge (endogenous or exogenous)
AHR 2	0.93 ± 0.06	0.90 ± 0.03	0.89 ± 0.05*	1.0 ± 0.10**	<0.001

ΔC_t values decrease with increased gene expression; lower values correspond to greater gene expression and higher values to lower gene expression.

Tukey HSD post hoc test: * significantly different from controls, p < 0.05; ** significantly different from controls, p < 0.01; *** significantly different from controls, p < 0.005; ^ significantly different from ONJ, p < 0.05; ^^ significantly different from ONJ, p < 0.01. The differences between the N-BP treatment groups and ONJ are only shown for factors where there was no significant difference with the control group. The greatest differences were observed between N-BP treated groups without a history of ONJ and those with ONJ.

i.v. intravenous.

^aData are log10 transformed.