Honolulu, HawaiiThe generation and release of excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) are strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory periodontitis. The destructive activities of ROS are neutralized by anti-oxidants, which constitute the body's natural defence against excess ROS release. Anti-oxidant mechanisms vary, but radical scavenging species such as uric acid and reduced glutathione are believed to be the most effective in protecting vital cell components from structural damage during hyper-inflammation. Anti-oxidants work in concert, and the study of individual species in relation to inflammatory diseases can provide a distorted and misleading picture of their role in the pathobiology of diseases like periodontitis.

In a Keynote Address during the 82nd General Session of the International Association for Dental Research, Iain Chapple (University of Birmingham, UK) will report on an assay for total anti-oxidant capacity, with sufficient sensitivity to permit analysis of gingival crevicular fluid as well as plasma compartments. With collaborators, he has developed a regression model that allows for the prediction of total anti-oxidant capacity from individual anti-oxidant components in serum, thereby facilitating the interrogation of large databases such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III.

They have also demonstrated a unique anti-oxidant profile for GCF, distinct from plasma, but similar to the alveolar-lining fluids of the lungs and cervix. Data will be presented on all aspects of this work, and a new hypothesis supporting a role for reduced glutathione and total anti-oxidant deficiency in periodontal disease pathogenesis will be proposed. This opens up the potential for a new generation of novel, dual-action host-modulation therapies, or "neutraceuticals", as adjuncts in the management of inflammatory periodontitis.

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Contact: Linda Hemphill
linda@iadr.org
International & American Association for Dental Research
13-Mar-2004

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