title: Association of periodontitis with persistent, pro-atherogenic antibody responses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study antibody responses associated with molecular mimicry in periodontitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-four periodontitis cases (mean age 54.0 years) and 44 controls (53.6 years) were examined, after which cases received periodontal treatment. Established immunoassays were used to analyse levels of antibodies against two pathogens, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) and Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), heat shock proteins (Hsp), Hsp60, Hsp65, and Hsp70, and epitopes of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) (CuOx-LDL and MDA-LDL) in plasma samples that were collected at baseline and after 3 (n = 48) and 6 (n = 30) months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When age, sex, smoking habit, and the number of teeth were considered in multivariate logistic regressions, Aa and Pg IgG, Hsp65-IgA, CuOx-LDL-IgG and -IgM, and MDA-LDL-IgG antibody levels were associated with periodontitis, whereas Hsp60-IgG2 antibody levels were inversely associated. The Aa antibody levels significantly correlated with the levels of IgA antibodies to Hsp65 and Hsp70, and both OxLDL IgA antibody levels. The levels of antibodies to Pg correlated with IgG antibodies to Hsp60, Hsp70, and both oxLDL antibody epitopes. None of the antibody levels changed significantly after treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Periodontitis is associated with persistently high levels of circulating antibodies that are reactive with pathogen- and host-derived antigens.
authors.affiliation: Division of Periodontology, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.|Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Kåre
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Buhlin
authors.affiliation: Division of Periodontology, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Holmer
authors.affiliation: Division of Periodontology, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gustafsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology and Medical Research Center, University of Oulu & Nordlab Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Sohvi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hörkkö
authors.affiliation: The John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: Alan Graham
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Pockley
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Periodontology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.affiliation: Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paju
authors.affiliation: Division of Periodontology, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.|Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Odontology, Malmo University, Malmo, Sweden.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Klinge
authors.affiliation: Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Pirkko J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Pussinen
mesh_terms: D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000917:Antibody Formation; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D008875:Middle Aged; D010518:Periodontitis; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL
keywords: antibody; heat shock proteins; lipoproteins; periodontal disease; periodontal treatment