Association of salivary alpha-2-macroglobulin with glycemia and glycated hemoglobin in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis study

Abstract BACKGROUND: Chronically elevated alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2MG) in the blood has been correlated with diabetes and the HbA1c profile; however, no systematic review has been conducted to evaluate the association of A2MG salivary levels and glycemia or HbA1c levels in diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) patients. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether A2MG salivary levels are related to the glycemia or HbA1c levels in DM2 patients. DESIGN AND SETTING: Systematic review developed at Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Brazil. METHODS: Eight databases were used as research sources. The eligibility criteria included studies that reported data regarding mean salivary A2MG and the correlation between glycemia and/or HbA1c levels of DM2 subjects (uncontrolled and well-controlled) and non-diabetic subjects. The risk of bias of the studies selected was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools for use in JBI systematic reviews. Pooled correlation coefficients were estimated using the Hunter-Schmidt method. Study estimates were weighted according to their sample size, and heterogeneity was calculated using the chi-square statistic. RESULTS: Four studies on DM2 patients were included in this systematic review after careful analysis of 1482 studies. Three studies compared A2MG with HbA1c and glycemia. Overall, the correlation between A2MG and HbA1c was strong (r = 0.838). In contrast, the correlation between A2MG and glycemia was low (r = 0.354). CONCLUSION: The strong association between HbA1C and salivary A2MG suggests that this salivary protein has the potential to be a surrogate for HbA1C, if corroboratory further evidence is obtained through large-scale studies.

Experimental acute sepsis reduced number of osteocalcin immunolabeled cells in periodontal ligament

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of acute sepsis in the periodontal ligament, alveolar and furcation bone in absence of periodontitis induction through histological and immunohistochemical analyses. A septic rat model was established by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Twelve rats were randomly divided into CLP (n=6) and Sham (n=6) groups. The animals were euthanized at 24 h and hemimandibles were submitted to histomorfometric (bone matrix, collagenous fibers, fibroblasts, osteocytes, inflammatory cells, and blood vessels) and immunohistochemical (BMP-2/4, RANKL and osteocalcin) evaluation in alveolar bone, furcation bone and periodontal ligament. Our results demonstrated that histomorphometric parameters were similar in alveolar bone, furcation bone and periodontal ligament of Sham and CLP rats. Regarding to immunohistochemical analyses, the number of BMP-2/4 and RANKL immunolabeled cells was also similar in both groups. Furthermore, it was detected a reduction in the osteocalcin immunolabeled cells in periodontal ligaments of CLP compared to Sham rats (p=0.0014). In conclusion, the acute sepsis induction resulted in reduced number of osteocalcin labelled cells in periodontal ligament region. Moreover, no significant histological differences were observed in the periodontium of rats under acute sepsis. Considering the role of osteocalcin in bone remodeling, the study contributes to revealing the importance of careful periodontal evaluation in the presence of sepsis.

Resumo O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito da sepse aguda no ligamento periodontal, osso alveolar e osso da furca por meio de análise histológica e imunohistoquímica. O modelo de sepse em ratos foi estabelecido pelo procedimento de ligação e perfuração do ceco (CLP). Doze ratos foram divididos de forma randomizada em ratos sépticos (n=6) e controle - grupo Sham (n=6). Os animais foram eutanasiados após 24 horas e suas hemimandíbulas foram submetidas aos procedimentos histotécnicos para análise histomorfométricos (matriz óssea, fibras colágenas, fibroblastos, osteócitos, células inflamatórias e vasos sanguíneos) e imunohistoquímicos (BMP-2/4, RANKL e osteocalcina) no osso alveolar, osso de furca e ligamento periodontal. Nossos resultados demonstraram que os parâmetros histomorfométricos foram similares no osso alveolar, osso de furca e ligamento periodontal dos animais do grupo sepse e do grupo Sham. Em relação à análise por imunohistoquímica, o número de células imunomarcadas para BMP-2/4 e RANKL também foi similar em ambos os grupos. Entretanto, houve redução (p=0.0014) no número de células imunomarcadas para osteocalcina no ligamento periodontal de ratos sépticos em relação ao grupo Sham. Como conclusão, o estabelecimento de sepse aguda resultou em um número reduzido de células imunomarcadas para osteocalcina na região do ligamento periodontal (p=0,0014). Além disso, não foram observadas diferenças histológicas significativas no periodonto de ratos na presença de sepse aguda. Considerando o papel da osteocalcina na remodelação óssea, este estudo contribui para revelar a importância da avaliação periodontal cuidadosa na presença de sepse.