Alanina aminotransferasa salival como biomarcador de periodontitis en pacientes de la Clínica de Periodoncia de la Unidad Médico Didáctica / Salivary alanine aminotransferase as a biomarker of periodontitis in patients of the Periodontics Clinic of the Didactic Medical Unit

La alanina aminotransferasa (ALT) es una enzima citoplasmática, más específi ca de daño hepático, la cual ha sido cuantifi cada en líquido crevicular; sin embargo, son escasos los reportes que señalan que la saliva pueda ser una herramienta de utilidad para la medición de esta enzima. El objetivo del estudio es identifi car los niveles de la enzima ALT en saliva no estimulada de pacientes sanos y pacientes con periodontitis, antes y después del tratamiento periodontal no quirúrgico. Material y métodos: Se evaluaron 24 pacientes con periodontitis moderada a avanzada generalizada (n = 16) y pacientes con periodonto sano (n = 8) que acudieron a la Clínica de Periodoncia de la Unidad Médico Didáctica de la Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, donde al grupo experimental se le realizó tratamiento periodontal no quirúrgico. Se recolectó saliva no estimulada antes y después del tratamiento periodontal para evaluar los niveles de ALT, procesando su lectura con un analizador semiautomático para química clínica. Resultados: En el grupo experimental se encontró una concentración de ALT de 52.47 ± 72.68, que disminuye a 14.95 ± 16.88 posterior a la terapia periodontal, a diferencia del grupo control con una media de 4.488 ± 3.229, se detectó una media de 5.638 ± 5.935 posterior al tratamiento periodontal. Conclusión: En los pacientes que fueron sometidos al tratamiento periodontal no quirúrgico, la concentración de ALT tiende a disminuir de manera notable; sin embargo, los resultados mostrados no fueron estadísticamente significativos (AU)

Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a cytoplasmic enzyme, more specific for liver damage, which has been quantifi ed in crevicular fl uid, however there are few reports that saliva can be a useful tool for the measurement of this enzyme. The objective of the study is to identify the levels of the ALT enzyme in unstimulated saliva of healthy patients and patients with periodontitis, before and after the non-surgical periodontal treatment. Material and methods: 24 patients with moderate to advanced generalized periodontitis (n = 16) and patients with healthy periodontium (n = 8) who attended the Periodontics Clinic of the Didactic Medical Unit of the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes where the experimental group underwent non-surgical periodontal treatment. Unstimulated saliva was collected before and after the periodontal treatment to evaluate the ALT levels, processing its reading with a semi-automatic analyzer for clinical chemistry. Results: In the experimental group, an ALT concentration of 52.47 ± 72.68 was found, decreasing to 14.95 ± 16.88 after periodontal therapy, unlike the control group with a mean of 4.488 ± 3.229, fi nding an average of 5.638 ± 5.935 after periodontal treatment. Conclusion: In patients who underwent non-surgical periodontal treatment, the concentration of ALT tends to decrease signifi cantly, however the results shown were not statistically significant (AU)

Preventive action of curcumin in experimental acute pancreatitis in mouse.

Background & objectives: Curcuma longa (turmeric) has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for inflammatory conditions. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the preventive effects of curcumin against acute pancreatitis (AP) induced by caerulein in mouse and to elucidate possible mechanism of curcumin action. Methods: Curcumin (50 mg/kg/day) was intraperitoneally injected to Kun Ming male mice for 6 days, followed by injection of caerulein to induce AP. GW9662 (0.3 mg/kg), a specific peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) antagonist, was intravenously injected along with curcumin. Murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells were treated with 100 μmol/l curcumin for 2 h, and then stimulated with 0.1 μ g/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Serum amylase and transaminase levels were measured at 10 h after AP. TNF-α level in mouse serum and cell culture medium were detected by ELISA. Expression of PPARγ and NF-κB were analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blot. Results: Curcumin significantly decreased the pancreas injury and reversed the elevation of serum amylase, ALT and AST activities and TNF-α level in mice with AP. Curcumin treatment inhibited the elevation of NF-κB-p65 in the nucleus of mouse pancreas AP group and RAW264.7 cells, but significantly increased the expression of PPARγ. GW9662 could abolish the effects of curcumin on serum levels of amylase, ALT, AST, TNF-α, and NF-κB level. Interpretation & conclusions: Our results suggest that curcumin could attenuate pancreas tissue and other organ injury by inhibiting the release of inflammatory cytokine TNF-α. These effects may involve upregulation of PPARγ and subsequent downregulation of NF-κB.