S. Ohgi et Pw. Johnson, GLUCOSE MODULATES GROWTH OF GINGIVAL FIBROBLASTS AND PERIODONTAL-LIGAMENT CELLS - CORRELATION WITH EXPRESSION OF BASIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH-FACTOR, Journal of Periodontal Research, 31(8), 1996, pp. 579-588
Diabetes mellitus is a systemic disease with profound effects on oral
health and periodontal wound healing. Uncontrolled diabetes adversely
affects surgical wound healing and is often associated with abnormal p
roliferation of fibroblasts, excessive angiogenesis and poor bone rege
neration. Human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells fr
om both diabetics and non-diabetics were evaluated for growth response
s following culture in 20 mM glucose, a concentration compatible with
blood glucose levels in uncontrolled diabetics. Gingival fibroblasts d
erived from 9 non-diabetic patients and 3 insulin-dependent diabetics
either proliferated or showed little change of growth in elevated gluc
ose. Enhanced proliferation was observed following 1 wk of culture in
glucose. Growth of periodontal ligament cells from 5 non-diabetic pati
ents was inhibited by 20 mM glucose. Fibroblasts that were markedly gr
owth stimulated were probed for expression of basic fibroblast growth
factor (bFGF) using a reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction (R
T-PCR). Results indicate that fibroblasts exhibiting the greatest incr
ease in growth in response to high glucose also exhibited increased ex
pression of bFGF. No changes were observed in mRNA expression for plat
elet-derived growth factor-AA, platelet-derived growth factor-BB, insu
lin-like growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta(1). Mitogen
ic effects induced by the cytosol of fibroblasts exhibiting increases
of growth in 20 mM glucose were abrogated by neutralizing antibodies t
o bFGF. In addition, some periodontal ligament cells that were growth
inhibited by high glucose had reduced expression of bFGF. These data s
uggest that bFGF may play a role in the abnormal wound healing associa
ted with periodontal surgery of uncontrolled diabetics.