Neutrophil Hyper-responsiveness in Periodontitis

Neutrophil Hyper-responsiveness in Periodontitis
2007
J.B. Matthews*, H.J. Wright, A. Roberts, N. Ling-Mountford, P.R. Cooper, and I.L.C. Chapple
Journal of Dental Research

© 2007 International and American Associations for Dental Research

Periodontal Research Group, School of Dentistry, University of Birmingham, St ChadÌs Queensway, Birmingham B4 6NN, UK

* corresponding author, j.b.matthews@bham.ac.uk

Peripheral neutrophil hyper-responsiveness in chronic periodontitis leads to excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. We aimed to determine whether neutrophil hyper-responsiveness was constitutive or reactive, and to discover the effect of non-surgical therapy. Peripheral blood neutrophils from patients (n = 19), before and 3 months after therapy, and matched control individuals were Fc-receptor-stimulated with/without priming with P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum. Total and extracellular ROS were determined by luminol/isoluminol chemiluminescence. The high total ROS generation of patientsÌ neutrophils compared with that of control individuals (P = 0.016) continued at a reduced level post-therapy (P = 0.059). Reduced activity post-therapy was also seen with priming. Unstimulated total ROS levels did not differ between patients and control individuals before or after therapy. However, the high unstimulated, extracellular ROS production by patientsÌ neutrophils compared with control individuals (P < 0.05) continued post-therapy and was unaffected by priming. Therapy reduced Fc-receptor-stimulated total ROS production, but not unstimulated extracellular radical release, suggesting that constitutive and reactive mechanisms underlie neutrophil hyper-responsiveness.

KEY WORDS: chronic periodontitis Ô neutrophil hyper-responsiveness Ô therapy Ô Fc-receptor Ô ROS

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