Telomerase expression in individuals with chronic and aggressive periodontitis

The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression of human telomerase reverse transcription (hTERT) enzyme in chronic periodontitis (CP) and aggressive periodontitis (AgP) compared with healthy individuals.

A total of 79 individuals consented to participate in the study. The study sample comprised healthy individuals (n = 30), patients with CP (n = 30), and patients with AgP (n = 19). Gingival tissue was collected and evaluated for hTERT expression by Western blot and immunohistochemical methods. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed using the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples.

The hTERT messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression was significantly higher in AgP compared with CP (P <0.001). In GCF, 53.33% of patients with CP and 68.42% of patients with AgP were showing hTERT mRNA expression, but it was not detected in the control group. The AgP tissue showed higher hTERT expression compared with CP (P <0.001). The hTERT mRNA expression did not show a correlation with gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment loss (AL) in patients with AgP, whereas hTERT protein expression was strongly correlated with GI, PI, PD, and AL in patients with AgP. The protein expression of hTERT shows significant but moderate correlation with GI and AL in patients with CP.

High expression of hTERT might be associated with periodontal disease progression, suggesting that hTERT could be a potential prognostic marker.