Gingival Crevicular Fluid as a Novel Potential Source of Biomarkers Distinguishes Pubertal from Post-Pubertal Subjects

Detection of pubertal growth peak is vital in orthodontic treatment timing and planning. Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) contains abundant proteins from different sources and has been proven to be an ideal source of biomarkers. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) is an advanced technique that can detect low-molecular-weight peptides with high sensitivity and resolution. The aim of this research was to identify novel candidate biomarkers in GCF to help the diagnosis of pubertal growth peak by MALDI-TOF/MS. Results showed that the peak intensities of six peptides were significantly different between two groups: 1660.2 Da, 1783.0 Da, 2912.5 Da, 4178.6 Da, 5064.9 Da, and 6108.9 Da and are considered to be potential candidate biomarkers to identify pubertal growth peak. Further studies are needed to identify sequence information of these candidate biomarkers.