FACTORS AFFECTING IL-1-MEDIATED COLLAGEN-METABOLISM BY FIBROBLASTS AND THE PATHOGENESIS OF PERIODONTAL-DISEASE - A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Fibroblasts have been studied extensively for their contribution to co nnective tissue destruction in diseases where the metabolism of extrac ellular matrix components plays an essential part in their pathogenesi s. A considerable dissolution, especially of collagen fibrils, is a we ll-known characteristic of the periodontal ligament and the gingival c onnective tissue in microbial-induced periodontal disease. Fibroblasts , responsible for the assembly of the extracellular matrix, are capabl e of responding directly to oral microbial challenges or indirectly, f ollowing activation of the host immune response, and can alter the com position of connective tissue in several ways: synthesis of inflammato ry mediators, their receptors and antagonists; fibroblast proliferatio n; collagen synthesis; phagocytosis of collagen fibrils; and synthesis of proteolytic enzymes, including matrix metalloproteinases and their corresponding inhibitors. The contributions of these cellular fibrobl astic properties to the pathogenesis of periodontal disease are review ed in the context of the cytokine, interleukin-1, as the inflammatory regulator.