Journal of Dental Research, Vol 58, 2132-2136, Copyright © 1979 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Collagenolytic activity of crevicular fluid and of adjacent gingival tissue
L. M. Golub, R. Kaplan, J. E. Mulvihill and N. S. Ramamurthy
The fluid in and gingival tissue lining periodontal pockets were collected
from male patients undergoing periodontal therapy. The collagenolytic
activity of the crevicular fluid, and the ability of the gingiva in culture
to degrade (a) an exogenous collagen substrate, and (b) endogenous collagen
newly synthesized and labeled with H3-hydroxyproline, were related to the
severity of gingival inflammation. Although inflammation appeared to have
only a slight effect on gingival collagenolytic activity and on the
turnover of collagen newly synthesized in culture, a marked effect was
observed on the collagenase activity in the crevicular fluid. This study
suggests that the collagen destructive activity of the periodontal lesion
can be assessed by monitoring crevicular fluid collagenolytic activity.
