Synthesis of sulfated glycosaminoglycans by human gingival fibroblasts from phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth in vitro.

The in vitro synthesis of sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) was studied in gingival fibroblasts from two patients exhibiting phenytoin(PHT)-induced gingival overgrowth, i.e. pseudopockets, which required surgical excision, from one patient on PHT medication not exhibiting pseudopockets and from two normal controls. The results showed that the newly synthesized GAGs were distributed to the culture medium, to a pericellular pool and to the cell fraction. Gingival fibroblasts from the PHT-induced gingival overgrowth showed a significantly increased incorporation of 35SO4(2-) into GAGs compared to the other strains, and this increase was mainly confined to the dermatan sulfate fraction. These results are in accordance with our previous biochemical studies where increased amounts of GAGs were found in gingival biopsies from the PHT-induced lesion.