Effect of Antibiotic Treatment on Tgf-β1 Expression in Gingival Tissues of Patients with Chronic Periodontal Disease

Chronic periodontitis is initiated by subgingival biofilm depots that induce a release of a cascade of inflammatory molecules in periodontal structures which finally lead to the destruction of the supporting tissues and alveolar bone. One of these cytokines is the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) associated with inflammatory host response, but also involved in healing and fibrosis. Correlations between periodontal tissues degradation and TGF-β1 expression have been intensively investigated, but the studies regarding modulation of TGF-β1 expression under systemic antibiotic therapy are scarce. In this study we assessed the effect of two combinations of antibiotics used to treat chronic periodontitis on the relation between TGF-β1 expression and the indexes used for clinical evaluation of periodontium destruction. Gingival samples collected from patients with untreated chronic periodontitis and those receiving either the combination amoxicillin-metronidazole or spiramycin-metronidazole were processed for paraffin embedding and then stained for routine histological examination and immunohistochemistry in order to assess the morphological changes and to detect the localization of TGF-β1. TGF-β1 displayed different patterns of expression between the groups included in the study, being weaker and scarce in samples from patients treated with antibiotics in contrast with untreated subjects. The clinical index was in accordance with immunohistochemical results. As a conclusion, TGF-β1 may have a contribution not only to the pathogenesis of periodontal disease but also in the healing mechanism by means of antibiotic treatment.