Vascular endothelial growth factor in gingival tissues and crevicular fluids of diabetic and healthy periodontal patients

BACKGROUND: Periodontal disease is one of the major oral problems encountered in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Vascular changes, neutrophil dysfunction, altered collagen synthesis, and genetic predisposition observed in DM may contribute to periodontitis; and the vascular alterations observed in such patients may depend on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) actions. Few reports are available about the mechanism of neovascularization and the angiogenic factors that contribute to the periodontal pathology and the role of VEGF in periodontal diseases. The aim of this study is to compare VEGF expression in healthy and periodontally diseased tissues with gingival crevice fluid (GCF) of healthy persons and diabetic patients. METHODS: Gingival tissue and GCF samples were collected from sites of periodontitis in 10 healthy subjects and in 10 type 2 diabetic patients, and from the sites of healthy gingiva within the same groups. Therefore, each patient became his/her own control. Additionally, 10 people without any systemic or periodontal diseases were enrolled, forming a negative control group. Thus, a total of 50 tissue and 50 GCF samples were provided. RESULTS: No VEGF staining was observed in the negative control group or in the systemically healthy people's healthy tissue samples, whereas four samples of diabetic patients showed positive staining (P < 0.05). However, VEGF was revealed in two tissue samples of periodontal sites of systemically healthy people and in six samples of the diabetic patients (P > 0.05). In all test groups, GCF VEGF levels were higher in periodontal sites (P < 0.05) than in healthy sites. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that VEGF is increased in all periodontal tissues of both groups and in the healthy sites of diabetic patients. Additionally, GCF VEGF values increased in periodontal sites of all test groups.