IL6 and periodontitis: Periodontitis patients showed an elevated leukocyte count, TNF-α, IL-8, IL-6, and active MMP-8 (aMMP-8) level, posing a threat to endothelial dysfunction and contributing to the incidence of atherosclerosis (Pink et al., 2015; Noack et al., 2017; Ribeiro et al., 2021).