Effects of aging and cyclosporin a on collagen turnover in human gingiva.
BACKGROUND
WE AIMED AT CHARACTERIZING THE AGING GINGIVA ANALYZING: i) collagen content and turnover in human gingival tissues and fibroblasts obtained from healthy young and aging subjects. ii) the effect of cyclosporin A administration in human cultured gingival fibroblasts obtained from aging compared to young subjects.


METHODS
Morphological analysis was performed on haematoxylin-eosin and Sirius red stained paraffin-embedded gingival biopsies from young and aging healthy subjects. The expression of the main genes and proteins involved in collagen turnover were determined by real time PCR, dot blot and SDS-zymography on cultured young and aging gingival fibroblasts, and after cyclosporin A administration.


RESULTS
Our results suggest that in healthy aged people, gingival connective tissue is characterized by a similar collagen content and turnover. Collagen turnover pathways are similarly affected by cyclosporin A treatment in young and aging gingival fibroblasts.


CONCLUSIONS
Cyclosporin A administration affects gingival collagen turnover pathways in young and aging fibroblasts at the same extent, suggesting that during aging cyclosporin A administration is not related to relevant collagen turnover modifications.
Gagliano
N
N
Department of Human Morphology and Biomedical Sciences "Città Studi", EML-Extracellular Matrix Laboratory, Università degli Studi di Milano, School of Medicine, Milan, Italy.
Costa
F
F
Tartaglia
G M
GM
Pettinari
L
L
Grizzi
F
F
Sforza
C
C
Portinaro
N
N
Gioia
M
M
Annoni
G
G