Crevicular fluid levels of plasma glutathione peroxidase (eGPx) in periodontal health and disease.

OBJECTIVE

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in numerous human diseases, including periodontal diseases. Plasma glutathione peroxidase (eGPx) as an important antioxidant, has a protective role against ROS and is an established marker of oxidative stress. The present study evaluated the levels of eGPx in GCF to further probe into the role of oxidants and antioxidants in periodontal disease.

METHODS

60 subjects were divided into three groups consisting of 20 subjects in each group based on gingival index, pocket probing depth, clinical attachment loss and radiological parameters (bone loss): healthy (group 1), gingivitis (group 2) and periodontitis (group 3), whilst, group 3 patients after the treatment constituted group 4. GCF samples were collected from all groups to estimate the levels of eGPx using ELISA.

RESULTS

The mean eGPx concentration in GCF were observed to be the highest in group 3 i.e., 30.89+/-4.93 ng/microl and lowest in group 1 i.e., 15.32+/-3.06 ng/microl. The mean eGPx concentration in group 2 (23.77+/-2.91 ng/microl) and group 4 (18.92+/-3.53 ng/microl) fell between the highest and the lowest values.

CONCLUSIONS

This suggests that eGPx levels in GCF increase proportionally with the severity of periodontal diseases. eGPx can be considered as a marker of oxidative stress in periodontal diseases. However, controlled, longitudinal studies with larger samples have to be carried out to confirm this possibility.