Blastogenic responsiveness of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from individuals with various forms of periodontitis and effects of treatment

Abstract

Experiments were done to learn whether or not the blastogenic responsiveness of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM) from 34 patients to mitogens and homogenates of a panel of periodontal bacteria differs significantly from that of cells from 16 normal individuals. Groups of control individuals and patients with juvenile (JP), rapidly progressive (RP) and adult periodontitis (AP) were formed. Blastogenic responsiveness was assessed after 72 and 120 h incubation by measuring the uptake of radioactive precursor into DNA. Bacterial preparations and mitogens used as stimulators included Bacteroides melaninogemcus (BMEL), Capnocytophaga (CAPNO), Fusobacterium nucleatum (FUSO), Actinomyces viscosus (AVIS), phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and pokeweed mitogen (PWM). When the data were calculated as Stimulation Index (E/C), responsiveness of cells from patients with AP and JP was enhanced relative to that of cells from normal control subjects, but the enhancement was not statistically significant. In contrast, responsiveness of cells from RP patients to FUSO and AVIS was significantly suppressed. Except in the case of AP cells activated with PHA, mitogenic responsiveness of all patient cells was significantly suppressed. When responsiveness was calculated as E minus C, these differences between patient and control cells disappeared except for suppression of the level of blastogenesis by AP and RP cells exposed to AVIS. After 120 h incubation, unstimulated cultures of AP cells incorporated significantly less, and RP cells significantly more, radioactivity than did unstimulated cultures from normal individuals indicating an abnormal autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction. Cells were harvested and tested from a group of AP patients before, during and following periodontal therapy. PBM responsiveness to horaogenates of CAPNO did not change significantly during therapy, but responsiveness to all of the other bacterial preparations including autologous plaque increased following initial therapy. Values for AVIS, FUSO, and PLAQ were statistically significant. Responsiveness to the bacterial preparations either remained at the enhanced levels or increased to even greater levels following completion of therapy, except in the case of autologous plaque, where the values had begun to return toward pretreatment levels. In addition, responsiveness to PWM and PHA dropped to about one‐half the pretreatment values and responsiveness of unstimtilated cultures increased significantly to levels observed in cultures of ceils from normal donors.

A Novel Factor Isolated fromActinobacillus actinomycetemcomitansStimulates Mouse B Cells and Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

“…These alterations may affect local lymphocyte proliferation and function, and may contribute to increased susceptibility to disease in certain individuals. Many authors have reported that lymphoblastic responses are induced by bacterial antigens in patients with gingivitis and periodontitis (3,9,10,12,14,19,21,28). In our present studies, we found that A. actinomycetemcomitans produced a proteinaceous ISTF.…”

“…Although the pathogenic mechanism of periodontal disease is not well known, it is generally accepted that the immune system plays an important role in bacterial infection and destruction of the periodontal tissues. Human periodontitis lesions are histologically characterized by a dense infiltrate of lymphocytes (19,20). The role of lymphocytes in these lesions is unclear.…”

Cell-Mediated Immune System Regulation in Periodontal Diseases

“…When compared with healthy controls, the spontaneous lymphocyte response (SLR, a measure of the AMLR) of peripheral blood lymphocytes is generally depressed in patients with early-onset and chronic forms of periodontitis (Osterberg et al, 1983;Tew et al, 1983;Suzuki et al, 1984;Boyatzis and Seymour, 1986;Amer et al, 1990) Differences between healthy and diseased subjects, however, have not always been found (Suzuki et al, 1984;Okada, 1991;Kimura et al, 1991). The cause for AMLR depression is not known, although adult periodontitis patients with depressed AMLR have fewer CD4+ CD45RA+ (nafve) T-cells and depressed interleukin-2 (IL-2) production when compared with patients with normal AMLR (Kimura et al, 1991;Okada, 1991).…”

Peripheral blood monocyte responses in periodontitis

“…To explore whether this bias of the monocytes from periodontitis patients is derived from the chronic periodontal inflammation, periodontal treatment studies should shed light on this issue. Previous studies showed that following non-surgical periodontal therapy, the depressed autologous mixed lymphocyte response returned to normal limits in periodontitis patients (61,67). The Th2promoting phenotype of the monocytes from periodontitis patients, as evaluated in LPS-stimulated WBCC, also reversed after extensive non-surgical periodontal therapy including the use of systemic antibiotics (68).…”