VEGF, CD 34 and CD44 expression in peri-implant gingivae of healthy and diseased sites: comp. study

F. Ciolino 1 , S. D. Aspriello 1 , A. Zizzi 2 , R. Gatto 3 , P. Rasicci 3 , C. Rubini 2 , M. Procaccini 1 & M. Piemontese 1

1 Department of Clinical and Dental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona Torrette, Italy

2 Department of Neurosciences, Institute of Pathologic Anatomy and Histopathology, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona Torrette, Italy

3 University of Study de L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy

OBJECTIVES: The imbalance of host-parasite equilibrium in successfully osseointegrated endosteal implants may manifest as a series of changes and complications at gingival tissue level, above all in inflammation and vascularization, which lead to two distinct clinical processes, mucositis or peri-implantitis. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between expression of angiogenic and inflammation/regeneration markers in subjects with successfully osseointegrated endosteal implants affected by mucositis or peri-implantitis.

MATERIALS & METHODS: Immunohistochemical detection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), CD34 and CD44, revealed by streptoavidin-biotin peroxidase technique, was performed in 12 paraffin-embedded tissue sections of: (1) healthy gingiva (controls), (2) gingiva with mucositis (M), (3) gingiva with peri-implantitis (P). All data were statistically analyzed by ANOVA and Bonferroni tests.

RESULTS: VEGF and CD34 expression was significantly increased in endothelial cells from patients with M or P compared to healthy subjects (p