Expression of β-defensin 4 on temporomandibular joint discs with anterior displacement without reduction

Objectives. β-defensin-4 is a member of antimicrobial peptides (APs) of the immunity system. Thismolecule has antimicrobial activity but it seems to be involved in articular inflammatory processes too,as it happens during osteoarthritic disease (OA). Considering the possible relation existing between(OA) and temporomandibular disorders (TMD), the aim of our study was to evaluateimmunohistochemically the presence of β-defensin-4 in pathological temporomandibular joint (TMJ)discs affected by internal derangement without reduction (ADDwoR).Design. Eighteen TMJ-displaced disc specimens were considered in this study and were analyzed byimmunohistochemical evaluation. They were compared with a control sample of sixteen healthy discsand two scores, intensity of staining (IS) and extent score (ES) were estimated.Results. Findings of our analysis showed a significant difference between control and study sample(P<0.001). IS and ES of control sample and pathological sample were 1 and 4 respectively.Conclusion. Our results confirmed the presence of β-defensin-4 in human TMJ discs affected byADDwoR, hypothesing a possible role of this molecule in articular bone disruption.