Periodontal bone loss and immune characteristics after adoptive transfer of Actinobacillus‐sensitized T cells to rats

Abstract

The immune response, gingival inflammation and periodontal bone loss were examined in rats receiving adoptive transfer of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa)‐sensitized T cells and oral infection with Aa. Thirty‐eight, 30‐day‐old, male Rowett phenotypically normal (rnu/+) heterozygous rats were placed into three groups: 1) Aa‐sensitized T cell transfer group (AaT), 2) sham‐sensitized T cell transfer group (ST) and 3) no transfer control group (C), infected with Aa, and then sacrificed at 120 d of age. Blastogenesis of splenocytes to PHA and Con A was observed in AaT and ST animals that exceeded the values in C animals. Positive antigenic lymphoproliferation and delayed‐type hypersensitivity (foot pad swelling) to Aa were found in AaT group rats, but weak responses were observed in ST and C group rats. Serum IgG, salivary IgA and IgG antibody concentrations to Aa were elevated in AaT and ST groups compared with the control group after infection with Aa. The numbers of gingival T and B lymphocytes in the AaT group were increased in comparison to the other groups. There was also an obvious increase in horizontal bone loss in the AaT group rats. It is suggested that certain subsets of antigen‐specific T cells may augment destructive functions on periodontal tissues.

Mucosal Vaccines for Dental Diseases

“…actinomycetemcomitans-sensitized T cells transferred into rats exacerbated disease and increased DTH after Ag. actinomycetemcomitans infection (Yoshie et al, 1987). These results confirmed that disease in this model could be associated with hypersensitivity and that T lymphocytes were critical in regulating both T cell and B cell activity to maintain homeostasis.…”

“…actinomycetemcomitans resulted in DTH reactions and antibody, with accompanying increased bone loss (Taubman et al, 1983b). In companion studies (Yoshie et al, 1985(Yoshie et al, , 1987, T cells adoptively transferred into nude rats had the capacity to facilitate production of normal levels of immunoglobulins (and antibody) and protect against increased bone loss (Yoshie et al, 1985). Specific Ag.…”

The Role of Acquired Immunity and Periodontal Disease Progression

“…Overall, it is unlikely that this protection from periodontal disease progression is solely accountable by humoral Ab immunity (Klausen, 1991;Ebersole at al., 2001), and it is rarely able to accomplish this task in the absence of cell-mediated mechanisms (Yoshi et al, 1987;Taubman and Kawai, 2001). B-cells are not required, at least in the animal model, for alveolar bone destruction.…”

Bacterial-Responsive B Lymphocytes Induce Periodontal Bone Resorption

“…Lymphocyte prominence in periodontal lesions prompted the suggestions that this segment of cellular influx could be responsible for regulation of immune response in periodontal tissues (1,8,9). We have developed a model of periodontitis in gnotobiotic Rowett rats (10,11) infected with Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, a pathogenic microbe linked to periodontal disease. In previous studies, we demonstrated that adoptive transfer of an enriched (1) or cloned (12) population of A. actinomycetemcomitans-specific Th2 cells to A. actinomycetemcomitansinfected rats resulted in decreased bone loss compared with that in animals receiving nonspecific Th2 cells.…”