Estimation of Pentraxin-3 Levels in the Gingival Tissues of Chronic and Aggressive Periodontitis Participants: An In Vivo Study

• Localización: Journal of periodontology, ISSN 0022-3492, Nº. 2, 2014, págs. 290-297
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Background: Pentraxins are acute-phase proteins that belong to a family of evolutionarily conserved proteins, and they are considered markers of inflammation. Pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is a prototype of the long pentraxin group. It is suggested to play an important role in innate resistance against pathogens, regulation of inflammation, and clearance of apoptotic cells. The aim of this study is to estimate the level of PTX3 in gingival tissues of individuals with chronic (CP) and aggressive (AgP) periodontitis and control participants and further correlate the level of PTX3 with clinical parameters.

    Methods: The study population consisted of 50 participants ranging in age from 20 to 55 years and attending the outpatient section of Department of Periodontics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, India. The study groups included the following: 1) group A, patients with generalized CP (n = 20); 2) group B (n = 20), patients with generalized AgP (GAgP); and 3) group C (n = 10), healthy controls. Tissue samples from participants were assayed for PTX3 levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

    Results: Gingival tissues from patients with GAgP (8.349 ± 5.076 ng/mL) had a higher mean concentration of PTX3 than tissues from patients with generalized CP (5.068 ± 3.274 ng/mL) and controls (0.251 ± 0.277). The PTX3 levels in the gingival tissues correlated positively with clinical parameters in all the groups. Among the parameters, probing depth was the most significant predictor variable associated with PTX3 in cases with periodontitis.

    Conclusions: PTX3 concentration in gingival tissues of patients with GAgP was higher than in tissues from patients with CP, and the levels correlated positively with clinical parameters. Hence, tissue PTX3 level can be considered a marker of inflammation in periodontal disease.

    Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that results from a complex polymicrobial infection, leading to tissue breakdown.1 The inflammatory process is regulated by an orchestrated network of cytokines and chemokines.2 In the early stages, periodontal infection permits bacterial entry into the connective tissue (CT).3,4 In response to the bacterial endotoxins, acute-phase proteins are produced which sequentially activate the inflammatory cascade.5,6 Pentraxins are such classic acute-phase proteins belonging to a super family of evolutionarily conserved proteins considered to be markers of inflammation.7,8 Pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is a prototype of the long pentraxin group and is suggested to play an important role in innate resistance against pathogens, regulation of inflammatory reactions, and clearance of apoptotic cells. PTX3 shares structural similarities with classic short pentraxins but differs in the presence of an unrelated long N-terminal domain coupled to the C-terminal pentraxin domain.9,10 PTX3 is synthesized in response to primary proinflammatory signals (bacterial products, interleukin-1ß, tumor necrosis factor-a) from diverse cell types, including neutrophils, fibroblasts, dendritic cells, epithelial cells, macrophages, and endothelial cells. Previously, many markers have been used for evaluation of the diseased periodontal tissue. Nevertheless, only PTX3 was found to truly reflect the inflammatory state because it is synthesized mainly from the vascular endothelieum.9,11,12 PTX3 concentration in the serum and tissues in a healthy individual is very low. However, after an inflammatory insult, a steep rise in its concentration can be observed.13,14 Numerous studies have assessed the levels of PTX3 in plasma, serum, tissues, and other body fluids.15-17 However, only three studies have assessed the PTX3 level in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and correlated it with different stages of periodontal conditions.18-20 Therefore, the aim of this study is to estimate the PTX3 levels in the gingival tissues from individuals with chronic periodontitis (CP), aggressive periodontitis (AgP), and healthy controls and further correlate the PTX3 levels with the associated clinical parameters.