Dendritic Cells maturation in Periodontitis, Gingivitis, cyclosporin A gingival overgrowth

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the distribution of immature and dermal dendritic cells in Chronic Periodontitis, Gingivitis, and cyclosporin A-induced gingival overgrowth. Methods: Twelve biopsies from patients with Chronic Periodontitis, 14 with Gingivitis (in healthy patients), and 15 with cyclosporin A-induced gingival overgrowth were analyzed. Three regions were studied: oral epithelium, sulcular and junctional/pocket epithelium, and connective tissue. An immunoperoxidase technique was used to investigate the number of CD14+ (immature dendritic cells and monocytes), CD1a+ (immature Langerhans cells), FXIIIa (dermal dendritic cells), and CD83 (mature dendritic cells).Results: In the connective tissue, the number of CD1a+ cells/mm2 was significantly increased in Chronic Periodontitis and Gingivitis when compared with cyclosporin A-induced gingival overgrowth (p<0.05). The number of CD14+ cells/mm2 in the connective tissue was also increased in periodontitis when compared with cyclosporin A-induced gingival overgrowth (p<0.05). In contrast, the number of FXIIIA+ cells was increased in the cyclosporin A-induced gingival overgrowth group (p<0.05). Conclusion:There are significant differences in the distribution of immature and dermal dendritic cells in the connective tissue in Chronic Periodontitis, Gingivitis, and cyclosporin A-induced gingival overgrowth.