September 1997, Volume 3, Issue 3, Pages 167 – 171

Paper

Priming response to inflammatory mediators in hyperreactive peripheral neutrophils from adult periodontitis A Gustafsson, B Åsman & K Bergström Division of Periodontology and Division of Clinical Chemistry, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden

Keywords

neutrophils;   priming;   degranulation;   oxygen radicals

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To study the response to in vitro priming of peripheral neutrophils from patients with periodontitis compared to healthy controls. Peripheral neutrophils from these patients had shown increased production of oxygen radicals after activation with opsonized bacteria and a difference in priming response could suggest an explanation for this hyperreactivity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Peripheral neutrophils from a group of patients with periodontitis and from age-and sex-matched controls were preincubated with tumor necrosis factor , lipopolysaccharide (LPS), formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine and the tetra peptide arginyl-glycyl-aspartate-serine. After preincubation, the cells were activated with gammaglobulin opsonized- bacteria, i.e., a Fc R-stimulation. The priming effect was assessed as the production of oxygen radicals and as the degranulation or primary granules. RESULTS: Showed that the patients had a slightly lower responsiveness to priming than had the controls. This difference in priming response was most pronounced when measured as degranulation of primary granules after preincubation with LPS and 20 min of activation. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows no difference in response to priming, with optimal concentrations of inflammatory mediators, between peripheral neutrophils from patients with adult periodontitis and healthy controls.

Received 26 February 1997; Revised 30 June 1997; Accepted 1 July 1997

^© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 1997