Effects of Initial Periodontal Therapy on Heat Shock Protein 70 Levels in Gingival Crevicular Fluid from Periodontitis Patients

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of periodontium which is caused by periodontopathic bacteria. Moreover, various cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and IL-6 are expressed in the inflamed periodontium. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) protect cells from abnormal conditions including inflammation, microbial infection and diseases. The 70-kDa HSPs (HSP70s) are major HSPs that express in the inflamed tissues. In this study, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was applied to measure the levels of HSP70 in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) from two periodontal pockets in each of 10 patients with Stage III, Grade B periodontitis. Sites with probing pocket depth (PPD) of <= 3 mm were named the healthy control (HC) sites, and sites with PPD of >= 5 mm were named the diseased sites. HSP70 levels in GCF were expressed higher at diseased sites than at HC sites, and decreased after initial periodontal therapy at diseased sites. These results suggest the association of HSP70 with the stage of periodontitis.