Activity of Neutrophil β-Glucuronidase in Diabetic and Nondiabetic Patients With Chronic Generalized Periodontitis and Healthy Subjects

Algimantas Šurna¹, Jurgina Sakalauskienė¹, Alvydas Gleiznys¹, Eglė Ivanauskienė¹, Viktoras Šaferis²

¹Department of Dental and Maxillofacial Orthopedics, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, ²Department of Physics, Mathematics, and Biophysics, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania

Key words: periodontitis; diabetes mellitus; β-glucuronidase.

Summary. Objective. The aim of the study was to establish the dynamics of β-glucuronidase activity in subjects suffering from type 1 diabetes and chronic untreated generalized periodontitis, subjects suffering from chronic untreated generalized periodontitis only, and control subjects not suffering from generic diseases with healthy periodontal tissue.

Material and Methods. The study involved 165 19–50-year-old subjects who were divided into three groups: healthy subjects (n=55), subjects with chronic untreated generalized periodontitis (n=55), and subjects with type 1 diabetes and chronic untreated generalized periodontitis (n=55). Neutrophilic leukocytes of peripheral venous blood were exposed to bacterial stimuli: opsonized zymosan, nonopsonized Staphylococcus aureus, and prodigiosan. The activity of β-glucuronidase was determined by the spectrofluorimetry method.

Results. The diagnostic value of changes in β-glucuronidase activity of neutrophilic leukocytes markedly increased in all study groups after stimulation of neutrophilic leukocytes by opsonized zymosan, nonopsonized Staphylococcus aureus, and prodigiosan as compared to control media not exposed to any stimulus (P<0.001). The strongest relationship (canonical correlation coefficient eta, 0.993) between the intensity of periodontal pathology markers and the activity of β-glucuronidase of neutrophilic leukocytes in incubated media in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and periodontitis was found under the effect of nonopsonized Staphylococcus aureus.

Conclusions. If periodontal impairment is severe, diabetes mellitus possibly causes a faster destruction of the periodontal tissue and presents a higher risk of periodontitis for patients with diabetes.

Correspondence to J. Sakalauskienė, Department of Dental and Maxillofacial Orthopedics, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Sukilėlių 51, 50106 Kaunas, Lithuania. E-mail: jurgina.s@zebra.lt

Received 7 July 2010, accepted 11 February 2011