Human Apical Periodontitis Tissue and CD44 Expression.

Periapical granulomas are chronic inflammatory lesions caused by complex polymicrobial infections.CD44 is a widely expressed adhesion molecule present in several body cells such as leukocytes and parenchymatous cells, including endothelial cells, epithelial cells, and unstriated muscle cells. It interacts with hyaluronic acid, collagen, laminin, and fibronectin, and there are data that indicate an important role in the migration of leukocytes from the bloodstream toward inflammation areas. This study aimed to determine CD44 levels in inflamed periodontal tissue in comparison with healthy and inflamed pulp tissue. The samples of inflamed periodontal tissue were removed with tooth. All the samples were preserved and frozen at -32°C until were used to investigate the levels of the soluble hyaluronate receptor (CD44). The immune hematologic technique applied was agglutination inhibition of CD44-hyaluronate system. The results demonstrated significant differences between the groups. The sensitivity parameter median for the periapical process group is significantly higher than the one for the healthy process group and for the closed symptomatic process group. These results suggest that the expression of the CD44 molecule is higher during the initiation or maintenance of inflammatory processes.

Received: November 2011 - Accepted: March 2012