Effect of epinephrine on prostaglandin E2 and cyclic AMP levels in gingiva of patients with chronic periodontitis.

The levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and cyclic AMP (cAMP) in human gingival samples were determined by means of radioimmunoassay after incubation with epinephrine (10(-6)M) at different time intervals. The levels of PGE2 and cAMP reached a maximum in the control and hormone treated samples after 80 and 40 minutes, respectively. Epinephrine seemed to affect a lesser increase in PGE2 and a greater increase in cAMP values in gingival tissues when compared with control samples. When the data were analysed, there was statistically significant differences found between the control and hormone treated samples regarding both PGE2 and cAMP.