Autophagy has a beneficial role in relieving cigarette smoke induced apoptotic death in human gingival fibroblasts

The deleterious role of cigarette smoke has long been documented in various human diseases including periodontal complications. In this report, we examined this adverse effect of cigarette smoke on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) which are critical not only in maintaining gingival tissue architecture but also in mediating immune responses.