title: Epithelial alpha-naphthyl acetate esterases in the green vervet monkey gingiva before and after periodontal surgery and during tooth eruption.
abstract: To provide enzymatic information on de novo formed junctional (JE) and sulcular epithelium (SE), we performed periodontal surgery on 24 teeth. Ten to 14 days postoperatively, all experimental and 16 control teeth were extracted with adjacent buccal gingiva. In addition, specimens from unerupted and partly erupted teeth containing enamel epithelium (EE) were examined. Fixed cryostat sections were cut in series, stained with HE, or incubated with and without substrate for demonstration of alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase activity and for control purposes, respectively. The distribution and intensity of the alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase activity of newly reformed JE and SE was identical to that of the original JE and SE, i.e. suprabasal and very strong. In contrast, both the oral gingival epithelium (OGE) and the EE displayed a very weak enzyme reaction. These observations indicate that the presence of alpha-naphthyl acetate activity of original and reformed JE and SE is probably site specific and of nondevelopmental origin. Heavy inflammation after healing was associated with enhanced epithelial proliferation of OGE and, in addition, marked esterase activity of these proliferations and corresponding OGE. This points at a possible inflammatory induction of the marked esterase activity seen in JE and SE as well as site-specific, connective tissue influences. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the effect of inflammation on the esterase activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Anatomy, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Juhl
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holmstrup
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000201:enzymology; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D004846:Epithelial Attachment / Q000201:enzymology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000201:enzymology; D005881:Gingiva / Q000201:enzymology*; D005890:Gingivectomy; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000201:enzymology*; D009283:Naphthol AS D Esterase / Q000378:metabolism*; D014078:Tooth Eruption
chemical_list: D009283:Naphthol AS D Esterase