M. Barragholme et al., PROSTAGLANDIN E-2 LEVEL IN GINGIVAL CREVICULAR FLUID FROM PATIENTS WITH DOWN-SYNDROME, Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 55(2), 1997, pp. 101-105
The levels of prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1
beta) were determined in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) collected fro
m patients with gingivitis: 15 Down syndrome children and 15 controls.
The mean level of PGE(2) in GCF was significantly higher (P <0.05) in
the Down syndrome group (10.0 pg/mu l GCF) than in the control group
(4.6 pg/mu l GCF). In GCF samples collected from sites characterized a
s noninflamed, the mean level of PGE(2) was significantly higher (P <0
.001) in the Down syndrome group than in the controls. The mean level
of PGE(2) in samples from inflamed sites, on the other hand, did not d
iffer between dhe two groups. The mean level of IL-1 beta was not sign
ificantly higher in the Down syndrome group than in the controls. This
study shows that the level of PGE(2) detected in GCF from Down syndro
me patients is increased, a fact that may be of importance in the path
ogenesis of the periodontal disease frequently seen in these patients.