Human gingival collagenase in periodontal disease: the release of collagenase and the breakdown of endogenous collagen in gingival explants

Collagen degradation in different stages of gingival inflammation was examined. Higher collagenolytic activity and nonspecific protease activity were found in the severely inflamed gingiva, as compared to mildly inflamed or healthy gingiva. This was shown by electrophoretic studies and measurement of peptide-bound hydroxyproline in the culture.