Immunohistochemical distribution of extracellular matrix proteins as a diagnostic parameter in healthy and diseased gingiva.

This study showed histopathological findings of the extracellular matrix in healthy, inflamed, and hyperplastic human gingiva with immunohistochemical techniques. The distribution of collagen types V and VI, as well as of glycoprotein fibronectin, shows that they are extracellular matrix structural components which differentiate the tissue pathology. The orientation of the collagen fibers, the intensity of the fluorescent staining, the thickness of the fibrillar component, and the topographical localization of the connective tissue proteins are important parameters for tissue morphology. Therefore, bacterial deposits and the pharmacodynamic properties of drugs associated with gingival hyperplasia lead to an alteration of the matrix compared to the healthy tissues. This may be important in the tissue pathology in cases when the medical history of the patient is not known, as well as in forensic medicine.