[Proteases and their inhibitors in rapidly progressive and in juvenile periodontitis]

The purpose of this work was to study the elastase content of PMNs, the elastase alpha1-protease inhibitor complex, and the protease inhibitors in the plasma of patients with periodontal disease as compared with healthy subjects. We examined 11 patients with localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP), 15 patients with rapidly progressive periodontitis (RPP), and 22 healthy control subjects (HS). Our findings showed a significantly higher value for elastase like protease (ELP) complex in both patient groups than for the control group. In RPP patients, the ELP content of PMNs was below that in healthy subjects. Correlation between the ELP complex and the ELP content of PMN's was significantly positive. No such correlation could be discovered in the LJP group between the quantity of a1Pl and its inhibitory capacity, which may suggest a functional disorder involving the a1Pl of these patients. The imbalance existing between the different protease inhibitors is perhaps an explanation of the extensive tissue destruction occurring in periodontal disease as a result of the unrestrained effect of released granulocyte enzymes in the case of defective inhibition.