Inmunodetección de metaloproteinasas de matriz extracelular (MMPs)-2, -9, -13 y -14 en lesiones apicales asociadas con periodontitis apical asintomática

asymptomatic apical periodontitis (aap) is an infectious disease characterized by perirradicular bone destruction associated with chronic inflammation and release of inflammatory mediators, such as matrix metalloproteinases (mmps). mmps-13, -14 and -2, -9 are bone-expressed enzymes that can synergistically degrade collagen i, the main component of periodontal extracellular matrix, and gelatin, the product of degradation and denaturation of collagen. the aim of this study was to characterize the expression pattern of mmps-2, -9, -13, and -14 in periapical granulomas (pgs), radicular cysts (rcs) and healthy periodontal ligament (pdl). materials and methods: individuals with clinical diagnosis of aap and indication of extraction were selected (n=12), and biopsies of periapical lesions (pls) were obtained. for controls, 7 subjects with indication of premolar extraction for orthodontic reasons were selected, and pdl biopsies were obtained. samples were diagnosed by anatomopathological examination and immunohistochemical staining was carried out to characterize mmps expression. results: mmps-2, -9, -13 and -14 detection was limited to pls and were localized mainly to inflammatory infiltrate on both, pgs and rcs. additionally, mmp-2 was immunolocalized to fibroblasts from the connective tissue. conclusions: whereas mmps-2, -9, -13 and -14 were not detected in healthy periodontal ligament, they were highly expressed on inflammatory infiltrate from pgs and rcs, suggesting a role of these mediators in aap pathogenesis.