Possible Role of Calcium in Periodontal Disease

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Abstract
Ca2+ by endotoxin-challenged 3T6 fibroblasts, in vitro, was studied. In recent years, the role of Ca2+ in cell injury ultimately leading to cell death has attracted a fair amoung of interest. Whether the direct toxic action of endotoxin is related to a disturbance in Ca2+ homeostasis was studied. Increased Ca2+ uptake in endotoxin-challenged cells was found to be directly related to the bacterial source and method of extraction of endotoxin the cell density of the culture and the pH of the medium. The effect of endotoxin on Ca2+ uptake was completely reversed by polymyxin B which is known to neutralize the endotoxicity of lipopolysaccharides. The increased Ca2+ uptake may be one of the the mechanisms by which endotoxin causes direct tissue damage. The potential significance of these data to periodontal disease is discussed.

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