“…Mast cells accumulate at inflammatory site of periodontal tissue of patients with chronic periodontitis (E Ribeiro, dos Santos, Rocha, & Cury, ; Huang et al, ) and produce TGF‐β, matrix metalloproteinases, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases, or IL‐17, leading to the destruction of periodontal tissues (Myint et al, ; Naesse et al, ; Parachuru, Coates, Milne, Rich, & Seymour, ). Moreover, mast cells release TNF‐α and IL‐6 in response to P. gingivalis infection and induce alveolar bone loss in mice (Malcolm et al, ). These findings imply that the mast cell‐derived mediators may play a role in exacerbation of inflammation in the periodontal tissues.…”