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BACKGROUND: Plasma leptin concentrations are reported to be elevated in patients with inflammatory diseases. There is no consensus concerning the biological mechanism for this phenomenon. To date, tissue leptin concentrations have not been assessed within normal or inflamed gingiva. The purpose of this study was to assess concentrations of human leptin within healthy and diseased gingiva to define its possible role in periodontal disease progression. METHODS: Healthy (non-hemorrhagic gingiva adjacent to a or =3 mm periodontal pocket) were studied. Leptin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF; to assess potential vascular expansion), and interleukin-6 (IL-6; to assess periodontal disease activity and severity) concentrations were assessed within solubilized gingival biopsies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data were grouped by sulcular depth and compared by factorial analysis of variance, regression analysis, and Scheffé comparisons. RESULTS: Leptin concentrations were highest within gingiva adjacent to a or =3 mm sulcus. VEGF concentrations were highest within gingiva adjacent to 4 to 6 mm pockets and nearly equivalent in healthy (6 mm sulcus). IL-6 was positively correlated and leptin negatively correlated with adjacent probing depth; IL-6 concentration was significantly higher and leptin significantly lower in gingiva adjacent to >6 mm pockets compared to sites adjacent to or =3 mm sulcus), VEGF concentrations increased, suggesting that leptin could be released from gingiva coincident to vascular expansion. Thus, gingiva, in addition to adipose tissue, could be a source of circulating leptin in patients with periodontal disease. This possibility requires further investigation.
Johnson et al. (Sat,) studied this question.