Abstract
The periapical response to injury is a complex interaction of inflammatory, immune, neural, vascular and synthetic activity. TGF-${\beta}$ is a potent modulator of proliferation and differentiation in various tissue, seems to lead to an increase in extracellular matrix. MMP are a family of proteolytic enzyme that mediate the degradation of extracellular matric macromolecules, but little is known about theirs possible role in periapical tissue. The purpose of this study is to investigate the differential expression of TGF-${\beta}$ and MMP-1 in tooth follicle, periapical abscess, granuloma and cyst. The expression of TGF-${\beta}$ and MMP-1 in Periapical tissue was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis. Correlationship among the periapical lesions were stastically analyzed. The degree of MMP-1 expression in periapical abscess was higher than in any other periapical lesion, and stastically significant. TGF-${\beta}$ expression is the prominent in granuloma than other periapical lesion, which was stastically significant. The increased expression of MMP and TGF-${\beta}$ was not co-related with inflammatory cell infiltration degree of the periapical cyst. The expression degree of MMP and TGF-${\beta}$ was not co-related with periapical abscess and cyst, but expression of MMP and TGF-${\beta}$ showed strong positive co-relationship with periapical granuloma, which was stastically significant. TGF-${\beta}$ expression by Western blot analysis was prominent in granuloma and cyst, and similar to the results by imunohistochemistry. MMP-1 expression is less than TGF-${\beta}$, but there is not extreme difference between periapical lesion. These results suggest that TGF-${\beta}$ and MMP may be involved in tissue remodeling and has an important role in progress or mediation of periapical lesions.