The arginine-deiminase enzymatic system on gingivitis: preliminary pediatric study

AIM.: The lactic bacteria are Gram-positive microorganisms with coccus or stick shape, which share a number of physiological and biochemical properties. Several experimental evidences suggest the possibility of using lactic acid bacterial as a preventive or therapeutic potential approaches, alternative or complementary to prevention or treatment protocols currently followed in several pathological conditions. Lactobacillus brevis is able, through the arginine-deiminase activity, to subtract the substrate (arginine) to nitric oxide synthase, and to inhibit in vitro generation of nitric oxide from rat's peritoneal macrophages. These data led us to study the in vivo L. brevis anti-inflammatory effect choosing as experimental model the gingivitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS.: In our study were examined 21 subjects, 16 males and 5 females, aged between 5 and 12 years, with marginal gingivitis problems who have been given chewing gum containing the principle to test in measure of three per day. RESULTS.: At the time T1, after treatment, 18 patients no longer showed inflammation; 2 of them had a slight inflammation and only 1 patient still showed a moderate inflammation. CONCLUSIONS.: From our research, as confirmed by clinical and laboratory investigation, results an effective anti-inflammatory action of arginine-deiminase system that some bacteria possessing.