Affiliations: Department of Periodontics Bangalore Medical College,
Government Dental College and Research Institute Bangalore, Karnataka, India | Bangalore Medical College, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Note: [] Corresponding author: Dr. Anuj Sharma, Dental Pearl, Lake View
Apartment, Near Seva Sadan, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834001, India. Fax: +91 080
26703176; E-mail: dranuj31oct@yahoo.co.in
Abstract: Cystatin C (CSTC) is an inhibitor of cysteine proteinases and could
play a protective and regulatory role under inflammatory conditions. The
present study was designed to assess the concentration of CSTC in gingival
crevicular fluid (GCF) and serum, to find out their association if any, in
periodontal health and disease. 30 subjects were selected divided into 3 groups
consisting of 10 subjects in each group based on clinical parameters:
periodontally healthy group, gingivitis group and chronic periodontitis group,
while, chronic periodontitis group after 8 weeks of the treatment (scaling and
root planing) constituted after periodontal therapy group. GCF and serum
samples were collected from all subjects to estimate the levels of CSTC by
ELISA. The mean CSTC concentration in GCF and serum was observed to be the
highest in periodontitis group and lowest in periodontally healthy group with
intermediate concentration in gingivitis group and after periodontal therapy
group. CSTC concentration in GCF and serum increased proportionally with the
severity of periodontal disease (from health to periodontitis group) and
decreased after treatment. This suggests that CSTC increases with disease
progression to prevent further periodontal degeneration and decreases after
treatment due to bone metabolic homeostasis. Further, longitudinal prospective
studies involving larger population are needed to confirm the findings of
present study and to better understand the role of CSTC in the pathogenesis of
periodontal diseases.
