Protein carbonyl levels in serum, saliva and gingival crevicular fluid in patients with chronic and aggressive periodontitis

OBJECTIVE: This study aims at evaluating the degree of protein carbonyl (PC) levels in serum, gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and saliva in patients who suffer from chronic periodontitis (CP) and generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 110 individuals took part in the study. Of this number, 35 were CP patients, 43 GAP patients, and the remaining 32 were healthy controls. Measurements regarding the serum, saliva and GCF PC levels were obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found in serum PC levels between the groups (P > 0.05). In terms of salivary levels, the CP group demonstrated a significantly higher level (P < 0.05) of PC level compared to the GAP group. However, the difference was not found statistically significant when the comparison was drawn with the control group (p > 0.05). The GCF PC level in the CP group had a significantly higher level of concentration compared to the other groups (P < 0.05), whereas the relevant values in the control group were higher than the values in the GAP group (P < 0.05). GCF PC total values (/30 s) were higher in the CP group than the remaining groups (P < 0.05), whereas the relevant values in the GAP group were higher than the values in the control group (P < 0.05). It could be stated that GCF PC levels were significantly correlated, either positively or negatively, with all clinical periodontal parameters (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained suggest that PC levels of serum and salivary in periodontitis, when compared to periodontal health, do not seem to change considerably. However, in the CP group, a statistically significant increase in PC levels of GCF was observed. This finding suggests the salient role of local protein carbonylation in the periodontal area in CP. That the CP group had a higher level of PC level than the GAP group underscores the higher protein oxidation levels in CP patients.