title: Salivary thiols and enzyme markers of cell damage in periodontal disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent studies describe the potential use of biochemical markers in the evaluation of the severity of periodontitis; moreover, patients suffering from periodontitis frequently complain of halitosis (breath malodour), mainly depending on volatile compounds (e.g. hydrogen sulphide, methyl mercaptan, etc.) produced by anaerobic metabolism of oral bacteria and involving sulphur-containing amino acids. In this study, salivary sulphur compounds, such as cysteine, cysteinylglycine and glutathione and some markers of cellular damage (lactate dehydrogenase and aspartate amino transferase), were measured in periodontitis patients and correlated with the periodontal probing pocket's depth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two periodontitis patients and forty control subjects were studied for the salivary activities of lactate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase and cysteine, cysteinylglycine and glutathione concentrations. The periodontitis patients were divided into two subgroups based on the severity of periodontal disease, expressed as median periodontal probing pocket depth (> or <5 mm). Enzyme activities were measured by using an automated clinical analyzer; cysteine, cysteinylglycine and glutathione concentrations were measured by HPLC equipped with fluorescence detector.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A statistically significant increase of the salivary parameters level (cysteine, cysteinylglycine, glutathione, aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase) was found in the patient subgroup with periodontal probing pocket depth >5 mm, the salivary cysteine concentrations showing the most significant correlation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Salivary cysteine, a direct precursor of hydrogen sulphide, could be considered reliable markers for the oral tissue damage severity in periodontitis patients.
authors.affiliation: Centro di Ricerca e Formazione ad Alta Tecnologia nelle Scienze Biomediche Giovanni Paolo II, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore-Campobasso, Italy. bzappacosta@rm.unicatt.it
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zappacosta
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manni
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Persichilli
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boari
authors.forename: Donata
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scribano
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minucci
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Raffaelli
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Giardina
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Sole
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000032:analysis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D003545:Cysteine / Q000032:analysis; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000473:pathology; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000201:enzymology; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004151:Dipeptides; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; C028505:cysteinylglycine; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D005978:Glutathione; D003545:Cysteine