Quantification of Caspase 3 Levels in Patients with Periodontitis with or without Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a debilitating systemic disease with several major complications affecting the quality and length of life. Periodontal disease has been considered another diabetic complication in addition to cardiovascular disease, nephropathy, neuropathy, peripheral vascular disease. Caspase-3 plays an important role in intracellular signaling pathways that regulate apoptosis. High levels of glucose could induce human periodontal ligament fibroblast apoptosis.

Aim: The aim of the study is to compare caspase 3 levels in periodontitis patients with or without diabetes mellitus.

Materials and Methods: 30 patients were included in the study and they are divided into 3 groups: Group a- Periodontal health; Group b- Periodontitis with diabetes mellitus and Group c- Periodontitis patients without diabetes mellitus. Whole unstimulated saliva was collected from 30 patients using expectoration into sterile bulbs. Caspase 3 levels in saliva samples were measured in duplicate using a commercially available Human Caspase-3 (CASP3) enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) Kit. Results were analyzed statistically by a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and significant differences between the mean values were measured using Newman-Keuls multiple comparison test using Graph Pad Prism version 5. The results with the p < 0.05 level were considered to be statistically significant.

Results: From this study, it was observed that there was a significant increase of caspase 3 levels in periodontitis patients with diabetes mellitus (86.29±24.25 pmol/L) when compared to periodontitis patients without diabetes (55.06±12.90 pmol/L). The results showed a positive correlation and high level of significance when compared between periodontally healthy patients and periodontitis patients along with diabetes mellitus (86.29±24.25 pmol/L). Also, relatively significant results were observed in comparison between periodontally healthy patients (43.37±15.35 pmol/L) and patients with periodontitis without diabetes mellitus (55.06±12.90 pmol/L). Please add the most important statistical values.

Conclusion: The present study showed that caspase-3 concentrations in saliva increases in patients with periodontitis complicated along with diabetes mellitus. Moreover, saliva concentrations of caspase-3 increase with periodontal disease and caspase-3 plays a role as a biomarker of periodontal disease and its progression.