title: Lactoferrin in Gingival Crevicular Fluid and Peripheral Blood during Experimental Gingivitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lactoferrin (LF) is an iron binding protein and stored in the specific granules of granulocytes. It is released by degranulation following granulocyte activation. A positive correlation was previously reported between periodontitis and LF titers of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and blood. The purpose of this study was to examine alterations of GCF and blood levels of LF (LF-GCF and LF-BL, respectively), employing the experimental gingivitis model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve systemically healthy volunteers, aged 19-21, were selected. Pre-experimental phase of hygiene was followed by a 14-day experimental gingivitis phase in which subjects refrained from all oral hygiene procedures. After that subjects resumed optimal plaque control for 21 days of recovery period. At days 0 (baseline), 14 and 35 gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and blood samples were collected and plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP) and probing pocket depth scores were recorded. LF levels were measured with commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PI, GI, BOP and LF-GCF increased significantly after 14 days of experimental gingivitis period and decreased significantly after reinstitution of oral hygiene measures (P<.05). LF-BL appeared to follow the same pattern. Significant negative correlation was detected between the level of LF-BL and BOP at day 14 (P<.05), whereas significant positive correlation was noticed between LF-BL and clinical scores PI, GI and BOP at day 35 (P<.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LF-BL followed the same pattern with LF-GCF and clinical scores during the experimental gingivitis and recovery periods, although alterations of the LF-BL appeared statistically insignificant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, Gazi University, Faculty of Dentistry, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Burcu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.forename: Gonen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ozcan
authors.forename: Burcu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Karaduman
authors.forename: Asli Idil
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Teoman
authors.forename: Eylem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ayhan
authors.forename: Nazmi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.forename: Durdal
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Us