Author: Jeffrey S. Wallis
Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a potent immunosuppressant drug, produced by the fungus Tolypocladium inflatum, used to prevent allograft rejection after
organ transplantation. A common side effect of CsA is
gingival overgrowth. The exact cause of gingival overgrowth remains unsolved and controversy remains over whether the overgrowth is a result of
hypertrophic growth or hyperplastic growth. In this study, gingival fibroblasts were used to examine whether gene changes after treatment with CsA cause hypertrophic growth, hyperplastic growth, or a combination of both. Gene arrays representing pathway specific genes associated with each form of growth, as well as cellular stains to examine nuclear and…
