The concentration of prostaglandin E2 in human periradicular lesions.

Prostaglandins (PG) have been implicated in the genesis of periapical lesions. Periapical specimens from patients with clinical signs and symptoms of chronic and acute apical periodontitis were obtained and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen. Periradicular tissues from unerupted third molars were frozen and used as controls. The concentration of PGE2 was determined by radioimmunoassay. Low levels of PGE2 were found in the control tissues as compared with those detected in chronic and acute lesions. Significantly higher levels of PGE2 were found in acute lesions than those found in chronic lesions. The results show that acute lesions have higher concentrations of PGE2 than chronic lesions and confirm the role of prostaglandins in the pathogenesis of human periapical lesions.