The role of salivary galectin-3 and galectin-9 levels in plaque-induced gingivitis and periodontitis

Zerrin Barut; Ahmet Mert Nalbantoğlu; Hilal Korkmaz; Zeynep Demir; Mükerrem Hatipoğlu; Aysun Özkan; Şule Bulut

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19979

The role of salivary galectin-3 and galectin-9 levels in plaque-induced gingivitis and periodontitis

Heliyon. 2023 Sep 16;9(9):e19979. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19979. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Authors

Zerrin Barut¹, Ahmet Mert Nalbantoğlu², Hilal Korkmaz³, Zeynep Demir⁴, Mükerrem Hatipoğlu³, Aysun Özkan⁴, Şule Bulut⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Antalya Bilim University, Antalya, Turkey.
² Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Antalya Bilim University, Antalya, Turkey.
³ Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
⁴ Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
⁵ Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Kyrenia University, Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus, Turkey.

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to compare the salivary galectin-3 and galectin-9 levels in periodontitis, gingivitis, and periodontally healthy patients.

Methods: This study included 75 non-smokers who were systemically healthy. The clinical periodontal parameters of each participant were recorded. Individuals with periodontal health, gingivitis, and Stage II or Stage III Grade B periodontitis were allocated to the corresponding study groups (n = 25 each). Saliva samples were obtained from all individuals after they abstained from drinking and eating 1 h before sample collection. The galectin-3 and galectin-9 levels in the saliva were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. One-way analysis of variance, student's t-test, Spearman correlation, and logistic regression were used for statistical analyses.

Results: The galectin-3 and galectin-9 levels were significantly higher in the periodontitis and gingivitis groups than in the healthy group (p < 0.001). The highest galectin-3 and galectin-9 levels were observed in the gingivitis group (p < 0.05). Overall, the galectin-3 levels were significantly higher than the galectin-9 levels in all the groups (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The salivary galectin-3 and galectin-9 levels were high in patients with periodontitis and gingivitis, suggesting that they could be potential biomarkers for periodontal diseases.

Keywords: Galectin-3; Galectin-9; Gingivitis; Periodontitis; Saliva.