title: alpha-Defensin levels in whole saliva of totally edentulous subjects.
abstract: Salivary levels of alpha-defensins 1-4 and histatins 1, 3 and 5 were determined in 11 totally edentulous patients, 11 younger healthy adults with normal gingival mucosa (Control group I) and 8 subjects, age-matched with edentulous patients, having a minimum of 25 teeth (Control group II). Whole saliva was treated with trifluoroacetic acid and the acidic soluble fraction analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. The area of the extracted ion current peaks was used for peptide quantification. Levels of alpha-defensins1-4, but not of histatins, were significantly lower in totally edentulous patients with respect to both Control group I and Control group II. The two control groups did not show significant differences. The reduced level of oral alpha-defensins, which are mainly of crevicular origin, is most likely due to the absence of the gingival sulcus in the edentulous subjects. The near absence of alpha- defensins might be in part responsible for the higher vulnerability of the oral cavity to oral pathogen infections observed in totally edentulous patients.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biochimica e Biochimica Clinica, Università Cattolica and Istituto Scientifico Internazionale (ISI) per la Ricerca sulla Fertilità e l'Infertilità Umana - Paolo VI, Roma, Italia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fanali
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Inzitari
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cabras
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pisano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castagnola
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Celletti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manni
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Messana
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000378:metabolism*; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*; D023084:alpha-Defensins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D023084:alpha-Defensins