Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026
A Novel Approach to Monitoring Graft Neovascularization in the Human Gingiva
Published on: January 12, 2019
Immunolocalization of Bcl-2 oncoprotein in amlodipine-induced gingival overgrowth
Lalitha Tanjore Arunachalam1, Suresh Rao
1Department of Periodontics, Thai Moogambigai Dental College, Golden George Nagar, Chennai, India.
Background:
Drug-induced gingival overgrowth (DIGO) is one of the unwanted side effects of amlodipine therapy, but the pathogenesis still remains unclear. Apoptosis, which plays a ubiquitous role in tissue homeostasis, including gingiva, may be involved in the development of gingival enlargement.
Aims And Objectives:
(i) To study the distribution of Bcl-2 in healthy and overgrown gingival tissues. (ii) To compare and correlate the Bcl-2 expression in gingival samples from subjects on amlodipine therapy to the findings in healthy controls.
Materials And Methods:
A total of 25 subjects were recruited for the study - 15 hypertensive patients and 10 systemically healthy subjects. Both the groups were analyzed for Bcl-2 expression using immunohistochemistry.
Results:
Few of the control specimens showed weak positivity to Bcl-2 antibody, with the distribution limited to the basal cell layers alone, whereas 10 hyperplastic specimens expressed Bcl-2 and, unlike the control group, the distribution pattern was seen in both basal and suprabasal layers.
Conclusion:
The results indicate that the pathogenesis of amlodipine-induced gingival overgrowth might involve inhibition of apoptosis, especially with morphogenesis of hyperplastic gingival epithelia.
