Ontogeny of Immunity to Oral Microbiota in Humans

Abstract

This article reviews the ontogeny of immune systems in the human oral cavity that may influence the colonization, accumulation, or pathogenesis of oral microbiota. The prenatal development of cellular components associated with the secretary immune system reveals that theseinitial organization of tissue into Peyer's patches can first be detected immunohistologically at 11 weeks gestation. Epithelial cells positive for secretory component and immunocytes positive for IgM can be detected in salivary gland tissue by 19 to 20 weeks and continue to predominate during gestation. After birth, immunocytes containing IgA begin to dominate. Essentially, no IgA can be detected in saliva at birth. However, salivary IgA and IgM often appear soon thereafter, presumably in response to environmental antigenic and mitogenic challenges. Salivary IgA in young infants has molecular characteristics of secretory IgA and becomes the quantitatively predominate Ig in saliva. Both IgA subclasses are present in proportions characteristic of adult pure glandular salivas in many 1to 2-month-old infants, although the appearance of IgA2 is delayed in some subjects. Many innate, antibody, and cellular immune components are found in maternal colostrum and breast milk. The antibacterial properties of these maternal factors are diverse and can exert multifaceted protective effects on the infant's alimentary tract. The infant apparently can mount mucosal immune responses quite early in life. For example, salivary antibody activity to organisms that originally colonize the gut (e.g., E. coli) or the oral cavity (e.g., S. mitis, S. salivarius) can be detected by 1 to 2 months of age. Most of this antibody activity has characteristics of secretory IgA, although some IgM antibody can also be initially detected. Salivary IgAl and IgA2 antibody specificities to S. mitis and S. salivarius components increase qualitatively and quantitatively during the first few years of life. Salivary IgA antibody to components of streptococci that require hard surfaces for colonization (e.g., S. sanguis and mutans streptococci) generally appear after tooth eruption. The loss of placentally derived maternal IgG antibody specificities to these microbiota in the circulation is replaced by de novo synthesis, presumably as a result of the teething process. These IgG antibodies can enter the oral cavity in the gingival crevicular fluid and by the process of teething. The collective contributions in the oral cavity of innate and antibody-based immune elements from the saliva, gingival crevicular fluid (and milk if breast feeding) may be considered together with diet, infectious dose, salivary receptors, and tooth integuments, as factors that can determine the outcome of initial colonization events on erupting tooth surfaces.

Salivary IgA enhancement strategy for development of a nasal-spray anti-caries mucosal vaccine

“…For detail of this subject, see review by Drs. Smith and Taubman [38]. As the mutans streptococci are usually endogenous and are present at varying levels in all human mouths, and the dental disease can occur throughout life and may progress under diverse environmental challenges, it is difficult to evaluate the protective efficacy of the saliva sIgA antibodies induced by natural exposure to mutans streptococci.…”

“…Due to the salivary secretions, this secretory immunoglobulin also coats and protects every tooth and helps protect them from harmful bacteria that may cause decay. Although sIgA antibody in saliva and other secretions is essentially absent at birth, mature sIgA, i.e., dimeric IgA with a bound secretory component, is the principal salivary immunoglobulin secreted in individuals by one month of age [38,39]. Children between 12 and 24 months exhibit a broader range of generally higher salivary IgA concentrations (median concentrations of 50-60 g mL 1 ) than seen in the 1st year [40].…”

Impact of Dental Plaque Biofilms in Periodontal Disease: Management and Future Therapy

“…Regarding the prenatal development of cellular components associated with the oral mucosa associated immune system, it was observed that the initial organization of Peyer's patches can be immunohistologically detected at 11 weeks of gestation [25]. Epithelial cells positive for the secretory component of the sIgA and immunocytes positive for IgM can be detected in salivary gland tissue by 19-20 weeks and continue to predominate during gestation.…”

“…Saliva plays an important role in maintaining the oral homeostasis, through the flushing effects and its antimicrobial constituents like mucin, lysozyme, lactoferrin, salivary peroxidase, and histidine-rich proteins, which are all components of innate immunity [25]. Moreover, local concentrations of these proteins near the mucosal surfaces, periodontal sulcus (gingival crevicular Figure 2.…”

“…The maternal placental-derived IgG with specificity toward oral microbiota is replaced by the de novo synthesis stimulated by the teething process. The collective contributions in the oral cavity of innate and antibody-based immune elements from the saliva, gingival crevicular fluid (and milk if breast feeding) may be considered together with diet, infectious dose, salivary receptors, and tooth integuments, as factors that can determine the outcome of initial colonization events on erupting tooth surfaces [25].…”