Evaluation of Glutathione-S-transferase and ceruloplasmin levels in gingival crevicular fluid and gingival tissue as diagnostic markers for chronic periodontitis

Periodontitis, is an infectious ailment of multifactorial origin, that brings about destruction of bone and surrounding tissues. There are various oral pathogens that may be responsible for the destruction. The host encounters these microbial invasions and their products by the production and release of inflammatory mediators from the cells within the body. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) are a group of enzymes that utilize glutathione in conditions resulting in oxidative stress. These enzymes play a key role in the detoxifycation of such substance. It aids in preventing damage to important cellular components caused by release of free reactive oxygen species. Ceruloplasmin is a ferroxidase enzyme. It plays a role as an anti-inflammatory agent, by its ability to scavenge free radicals within the body. The present study was targeted at evaluating the levels of Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) and Ceruloplasmin as diagnostic markers for patients with chronic periodontitis in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and the gingival tissues. Thirty patients were divided into two groups. Experimental group comprising of 15 subjects with chronic perio- dontitis and the control group was composed of 15 healthy individuals. Highly significant changes in GST between the diseased and normal patients (P = 0.001) were detected. There was a decrease in GST level in both gingival tissue & GCF in diseased patients when compared to the control patients. The ceruloplasmin levels in GCF and gingival tissues showed no difference between the control and diseased group. Hence,these results indicate a relationship suggesting that GST produced during chronic inflammation could be used as biomarker that indicate periodontal disease .