Vascular endothelial cadherin and vascular endothelial growth factor in periodontitis and smoking

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the vascularization in periodontal disease process via revealing: (i) vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) productions in periodontitis and (ii) the impact of smoking on this phenomenon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen smokers and 15 non-smokers with/without periodontitis were allocated by split-mouth randomization regarding their smoking and periodontal statuses. The teeth with periodontitis in smokers (group 1), without periodontitis in smokers (group 2), with periodontitis in non-smokers (group 3), and without periodontitis in non-smokers (group 4) constituted the study groups. Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) levels of VE-cadherin and VEGF were determined by ELISA to evaluate their profiles in the groups. RESULTS: There were increased VE-cadherin levels in groups 1 and 3 compared with groups 2 and 4 (P < 0.05). Group 2 demonstrated higher VE-cadherin level than group 4 (P < 0.05). Increased VEGF was noted in groups 1 and 3 compared with groups 2 and 4 (P < 0.05) with similar levels between groups 1 and 3 and groups 2 and 4 (P > 0.05). There were no correlations between the VE-cadherin and VEGF levels in all groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that VE-cadherin and VEGF may increase in periodontitis, and smoking may uniquely cause VE-cadherin production in GCF.