ASSESSMENT OF THE LEVEL OF ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES – α-DEFENSINS IN THE ORAL FLUID OF CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC CATARRHAL GINGIVITIS ON THE BACKGROUND OF CHRONIC PATHOLOGY OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT

Abstract

Changes in the microbial landscape of the oral cavity, playing an important role in the colonization of its biotope and the occurrence of local inflammation, are closely related to the pathogenesis of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and other distant organs. The oral cavity secretes antimicrobial peptides of various classes against a wide range of pathogens, in particular, α-defensins, whose immunoadjuvant properties allow the prevention of infections. The aim of the study is to evaluate the potential antimicrobial properties of salivary peptides based on the concentration of α-defensins in the oral fluid of children with chronic catarrhal gingivitis on the background of chronic gastrointestinal diseases. A clinical and laboratory study was conducted on 97 children, of whom 59 had chronic catarrhal gingivitis and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (main group) and 38 somatically healthy children. The state of oral hygiene, the state of periodontal tissues, and the prevalence and intensity of the inflammatory process were assessed using the Schiller-Pisarev test. Determination of the content of α-defensins in oral fluid was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical processing of the obtained research results was performed using the licensed software package Statistica for Windows 13.0. Clinical and instrumental examination of the state of periodontal tissues showed that the prevalence of the inflammatory process and the degree of intensity of gingival inflammation in patients according to the Schiller-Pysarev test was positive in 81.36 %, and weakly positive in 15.25 %, which confirms the presence of an inflammatory process in the gums. Dental deposits were detected in 86.44 % of children in the main group, in 10.53 % of healthy children. The average hygienic index of Fedorov-Volodkina in the main group was (2.53 ± 0.02) points, in healthy children – (1.12 ± 0.04) points. Determination of the level of α-defensins in the oral fluid of children in the main group showed a decrease in their concentration in 12-year-old children by 7.1 times, in 15-year-olds – by 5.2 times compared to the similar indicator in healthy children. As a result of our study, a decrease in the expression level of antimicrobial peptides α-defensins in the oral fluid of children with periodontal tissue damage associated with chronic gastrointestinal diseases was found.