Abstract
Sections of normal and inflamed human gingivae were stained for β-glucuronidase and N-acetylhexosaminidase activities. A marked degree of staining was seen in macrophages and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, whereas fibroblasts, endothelial cells and round cell infiltrates were stained to a lesser extent. In order to quantify the activity in normal and inflamed gingival connective tissues, comparable samples were dissected from adjacent frozen-dried sections of gingival biopsies and assayed for β-glucuronidase activity and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) content utilizing microanalytical procedures. Chronically inflamed areas had approximately 4 times the amount of β-glucuronidase activity as normal based on dry weight. However, when the results were expressed in terms of DNA content, there was no statistically significant difference between the normal and inflamed connective tissues. The increase in activity of this enzyme with inflammation in gingiva, therefore, appears to be associated with an increased cellularity rather than caused by an elevation in the average enzyme activity per cell.