The novel role of HtrA1 in gingivitis, chronic and aggressive periodontitis.

Proteolytic tissue degradation is a typical phenomenon in inflammatory periodontal diseases. HtrA1 (High temperature requirement A 1) has a serine protease activity and is able to degrade fibronectin whose fragments induce the expression and secretion of several matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). The aim of this study was to investigate for the first time if HtrA1 has a role in gingivitis and in generalized forms of chronic and aggressive periodontitis. Expression of HtrA1 was investigated in 16 clinically healthy gingiva, 16 gingivitis, 14 generalized chronic periodontitis and 10 generalized aggressive periodontitis by immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR. Statistical comparisons were performed by the Kruskall-Wallis test. Significantly higher levels of HtrA1 mRNA and protein expression were observed in pathological respect to healthy tissues. In particular, we detected an increase of plasma cell HtrA1 immunostaining from gingivitis to chronic and aggressive periodontitis, with the higher intensity in aggressive disease. In addition, we observed the presence of HtrA1 in normal and pathological epithelium, with an increased expression, particularly in its superficial layer, associated with increasingly severe forms of periodontal disease. We can affirm that HtrA1 expression in plasma cells could be correlated with the destruction of pathological periodontal tissue, probably due to its ability to trigger the overproduction of MMPs and to increase the inflammatory mediators TNF-α and IL-1ß by inhibition of TGF-ß. Moreover, epithelial HtrA1 immunostaining suggests a participation of the molecule in the host inflammatory immune responses necessary for the control of periodontal infection.

The involvement of TGF-ß1 and CTGF in regional gingival overgrowth.

Gingival overgrowth is a multifactorial and invalidating condition. Our research is about gingival overgrowth caused by gingival plaque, its purpose being the evaluation of the presence of gingivitis and/or parodontitis in patients with gingival growth and the extent in which there is a connection between gingival overgrowth and the inflammatory process that can contribute to an exceedingly stimulation of the overgrowth. Immunohistological study was conducted on human material--gingival mucosa that came from patients with ages between 20-65 years, divided into three groups: group I--control group, group II--patients with gingivitis, group III--patients with local or general periodontitis. The intensity of immunohistochemical staining of TGF-ß1 and CTGF varies from one group to another, and also depends on the area of gingival mucosa that was observed. TGF-ß1 has a crucial role in periodontal disease fibrogenesis by intensifying the action of CTGF.

Clinical, histological and therapeutic study regarding the variations of the edentulous ridge's mucosa.

The oral mucosa of the edentulous ridges presents many morphological macroscopic and microscopic variations, from one area of the edentulous ridge to another, as well as from one patient to another. Because the mobile prosthetic treatment realizes a direct contact between the dental prosthesis and the mucosa of the denture supporting structures and of the peripheral structures, the prosthetic success depends on establishing a correct and long lasting relation between them. The present article's purpose is to present the pro-prosthetic and prosthetic treatment possibilities for partial or complete edentulous patients who have variations of the mucosa of the residual ridges, as well as to present the histopathological importance of these variations. The mucosal characteristics essentially influence the attitude in the different treatment phases of a mobile dental prosthesis, the prosthetic success depending on the establishment of a correct and long lasting relation between the dental prosthesis and the oral mucosa.