title: Prolonged systemic administration of cyclosporin A affects gingival epithelium.
abstract: Gingival biopsies were obtained from 12 patients suffering from Behcet's disease who were treated with Cyclosporin A (CsA) for up to 20 months. Preparations were made for examination with both light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Along with known changes in the gingival epithelial structure observed following CsA treatment, we also found unusual clusters of needle-like crystallites embedded in the epithelium, mostly at the base of the acanthotic projections. Toluidin blue staining revealed increased numbers of both intact and degranulated mast cells in the attached epithelium. It is concluded that CsA affects the gingival epithelium and that the clinically observed enlargement of gingival tissue following prolonged treatment with CsA is due primarily to CsA-epithelial interaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, Oral Diagnosis and Oral Radiology, Hebrew University-Hadassah Faculty of Dental Medicine and Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pisanty
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rahamim
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ben-Ezra
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shoshan
mesh_terms: D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy; D015550:Cell Degranulation; D003461:Crystallography; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005881:Gingiva / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
chemical_list: D003524:Cyclosporins