Biomarkers during early healing of extraction procedures: a prospective case series

Objectives This study aims to: (1) evaluate the temporal profiles of VEGF-A, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-10, G-CSF, TNF-alpha, and beta-NGF in surgical wound exudate (WF), comparing them to each patient's baseline values from gingival crevicular fluid (GCF); (2) describe a non-invasive, reliable method for collecting and processing WF to identify molecular markers involved in wound healing. Materials and methods Twenty-four patients underwent surgical tooth extraction. GCF samples were collected preoperatively (T0), and WF samples 24 h (T1) and 7 days (T2) postoperatively. Protein concentrations were measured using multiplex ELISA and expressed as mean +/- SEM. Results IL-1 beta significantly increased from 23.58 +/- 4.52 (T0) to 83.95 +/- 21.39 (T1; p < 0.001). TNF-alpha rose from 1.82 +/- 0.48 to 40.88 +/- 11.27 (p < 0.0001), IL-6 peaked at 214.76 +/- 38.21 (from 2.37 +/- 0.98; p < 0.0001), and VEGF-A increased to 18.50 +/- 4.85 (from 3.46 +/- 2.19; p < 0.001). Conclusions The method enabled efficient, non-invasive assessment of protein levels relative to individual baselines, confirming expected biomarker trends in early wound healing. Clinical relevance Non-invasive biomarker analysis of wound exudate offers a practical approach to monitor healing and support targeted pain reduction and tissue repair strategies.