Wnt signaling in periodontitis.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway activity in gingival samples obtained from patients with periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients with stage III grade B (SIIIGB) and eleven with stage III grade C (SIIIGC) periodontitis were included and compared to 15 control subjects. ß-Catenin, Wnt 3a, Wnt 5a, and Wnt 10b expressions were evaluated by Q-PCR. Topographic localization of tissue ß-catenin, Wnt 5a, and Wnt 10b was measured by immunohistochemical analysis. TNF-α was used to assess the inflammatory state of the tissues, while Runx2 was used as a mediator of active destruction. RESULTS: Wnt 3a, Wnt 5a, and Wnt 10b were significantly higher in gingival tissues in both grades of stage 3 periodontitis compared to the control group (p < 0.05). ß-Catenin showed intranuclear staining in connective tissue in periodontitis, while it was confined to intracytoplasmic staining in epithelial tissue and the cell walls in the control group. Wnt5a protein expression was elevated in periodontitis, with the most intense staining observed in the connective tissue of SIIIGC samples. Wnt10b showed the highest density in the connective tissue of patients with periodontitis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that periodontal inflammation disrupts the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Periodontitis disrupts Wnt signaling in periodontal tissues in parallel with tissue inflammation and changes in morphology. This change in Wnt-related signaling pathways that regulate tissue homeostasis in the immunoinflammatory response may shed light on host-induced tissue destruction in the pathogenesis of the periodontal disease.