Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the levels of TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3 mRNA expression in gingival tissues of chronic periodontitis patients and healthy controls.
Methods: Gingival tissue samples were collected from 10 chronic periodontitis and 10 periodontally healthy sites. RNA was extracted from the tissue samples and subjected to real-time RT-PCR to determine the expression levels of TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3. The expression of GAPDH was used as the control to normalize the levels of TFF mRNA.
Results: TFF3 mRNA was detected in all gingival specimens and the expression level tended to be higher in the chronic periodontitis group than healthy controls. TFF2 mRNA expression was very low and was not detected in any of chronic periodontitis tissues. TFF1 was detected in some gingival tissues and the expression level was higher in the healthy controls when compared to chronic periodontitis group.
Conclusions: The mRNA expression of TFF1, TFF2 and TFF3 could be detected in gingival tissue by real-time RT-PCR. Further investigations with a larger sample size are required to validate the association between TFFs and the pathogenesis of chronic periodontitis.
(This research is supported by grants from the Faculty of Dentistry and Research Group of Chronic Inflammatory Oral Diseases and Systemic Diseases Associated with Oral Health, Khon Kaen University , Khon Kaen , Thailand)