AVALIAÇÃO DA DENSIDADE DE MASTÓCITOS EM TECIDO GENGIVAL DE PACIENTES SOB TERAPIA COM NIFEDIPINA: POSSÍVEL RELAÇÃO DESTAS CÉLULAS COM A ANGIOGÊNESE E COM A COLAGENIZAÇÃO

Abstract

Nifedipine is a diidropirine widely used for the control of arterial hypertension, wich because of its vessel dilating, in particular for the blockade by the entry of calcium. However, the chronic use of this calcium channel blocker is associated with the gingival overgrowth, resulting in the esthetic, phonetic and mastication problems. Data from the literature aren t unanimous in suggesting that cells density alterations of gingival tissues might be caused by nifedipine. The aim of this study was to analyze the variations in mast cells densities and associated with collagen and vasculature degrees of the gingival tissues by effect of nifedipine. In order to do so, fourteen samples of gingival tissue of patients undergoing chronic treatment with nifedipine were obtained. For comparative purposes, fifteen samples of gingival tissues of healthy patients who did not use drugs associated with gingival overgrowth were used. The samples were analysed in the department of oral pathology, Federal University of Goiás. The histochemical analysis of the collagen degree was made using picrosirius staining. To evaluate mast cells and blood vessels density, the samples were processed by standard immunoperoxidase immunohistochemical technique using mast cell tryptase and CD31 antibodies. The results showed that the number of tryptase-positive mast cells in nifedipine group was significantly higher than the number of tryptasepositive mast cells in the control group (Mann-Whitney test, P=0,02). However, there wasn t relationship between mast cells density and the degree of angiogenesis (Pearson test, P=0,3). The number of tryptase-positive mast cells was not correlated with collagen degree (Spearman test, P=0,6). Also there wasn t relationship between mast cells density and dose or duration of the nifedipine therapy (Pearson test, P=0,2 and P=0,7). Microscopic alterations observed in the connective tissue of nifedipine users suggest that this drug might be associated to alterations observed in tryptase-positive mast cells density.