The presence of local and circulating autoreactive B cells in patients with advanced periodontitis.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present investigation was to study the local (gingival) and systemic occurrence of autoreactive B cells (CD5+CD19 positive) in subjects with a high or low susceptibility to periodontitis.


METHODS
2 groups of subjects (Group A and B) susceptible to periodontitis were included. Group A consisted of 22 adult patients (7 females and 15 males, aged 24-66 years) with advanced and generalized chronic periodontitis and group B comprised 7 children (4 girls and 3 boys aged 9-13 years) with localized aggressive periodontitis. 26 periodontally healthy subjects, Group C (aged 23-80 years, mean 49.6+/-16.3), were also recruited. Assessment of clinical and radiographical characteristics of periodontal disease was performed. Gingival biopsies and peripheral blood samples were obtained and prepared for immunohistochemical analysis. Blood samples only were obtained from the periodontally healthy subjects (group C).


RESULTS
The proportion of autoreactive B cells (CD5+CD19 positive) of peripheral blood lymphocytes was about 6 times higher in group A and 4 times higher in group B than in the samples from the control subjects (group C). About 40-50% of the B cells in the peripheral blood of the periodontitis susceptible individuals expressed markers for autoreactive features while less than 15% of the circulating B cells in the subjects of group C exhibited such markers. The periodontitis lesion in the adult periodontitis patients contained a substantial number of B cells out of which about 30% demonstrated autoreactive features.


CONCLUSIONS
It is suggested that both circulating and local B cells in periodontitis susceptible individuals have a higher propensity to autoreactive properties than B cells of patients with a low susceptibility to periodontitis.
Berglundh
Tord
T
Department of Periodontology, Göteborg University, Sweden. berglundh@odontologi.gu.se
Liljenberg
Birgitta
B
Tarkowski
Andrej
A
Lindhe
Jan
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D010520:Aggressive Periodontitis / Q000276:immunology; D018941:Antigens, CD19 / Q000032:analysis; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001360:Avidin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001769:Blood; D018956:CD5 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005881:Gingiva / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000276:immunology*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014966:Xanthenes
D018941:Antigens, CD19; D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; D018956:CD5 Antigens; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D014966:Xanthenes; C036963:fluorescein isothiocyante avidin; D001360:Avidin; C034657:Texas red; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate