The effect of polylactide membranes on the levels of reactive oxygen species in periodontal flaps during wound healing

It is consented that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are deleterious to wound healing process due to the harmful effects on cells and tissues. Absorbable synthetic biomaterials are considered to be degraded via ROS. Free-radical-scavenging enzymes (FRSE) are a cytoprotective enzymal group that has an essential role in the reduction, de-activation and removal of ROS as well as regulating wound healing process. In the present study, synthetic and absorbable polylactide (PLA) barrier membranes were evaluated by means of ROS activity levels during degradation in the healing periodontal flaps measuring the activity of FRSE superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Gingival biopsies taken from 10 patients allowing both guided tissue regeneration (test) and conventional flap surgery (control) before and 1 month after the operations were processed and the supernatants were studied by Mc Cord and Fridovich, Flohe and Otting, and Luck methods to measure total SOD and CAT levels respectively. A significantly increased enzyme activity of SOD and CAT was observed in both groups (p < 0.05). SOD activity change was 62.92% in the test and 9 3.97% in the control group, and, CAT activity change was 48.04% in the test and 11.58% in the control group. Our results suggest that ROS, particularly superoxide anions, may contribute to the degradation phase of PLA membranes and this may affect the wound healing of periodontium at least for one-month period. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.