DECREASE OF β-DEFENSIN-2 LEVEL IN THE GINGIVAL CREVICULAR FLUID AS A POTENTIAL PREDICTOR OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF INFLAMMATORY PERIODONTAL DISEASES

Abstract

β-defensin-2 (HBD-2) is a peptide of innate immunity that provides the first line of defenсe of the oral mucosa from the introduction of the pathobionts. Under inflammatory conditions epithelial cells and gingival fibroblasts produce HBD-2. The defective defensin secretion may play a crucial role in the development of inflammatory periodontal diseases. The study aimed to compare the levels of HBD-2 in the gingival fluid and/or the content of the periodontal pockets in patients with dental plaque-induced gingivitis (PG), aggressive periodontitis (AgP), chronic generalized periodontitis (CP) and in the periodontally healthy subjects (Control). We examined 142 patients (45.0 ± 1.03 years) from Moscow, including 11 patients with PG (35.7 ± 3.69 years), 43 patients with AgP (35.4 ± 0.84 years), 71 patients with CP (54.4 ± 0.86 years) and 17 controls (36.1 ± 2.92 years). We determined the periodontal tissues condition in all patients during the periodontal and X-ray examination. The samples of the gingival crevicular fluid and periodontal pocket content were collected by paper points from the gingival sulcus and periodontal pockets at 8 teeth of both jaws. The concentration (C) of β-defensin-2 was determined by enzyme immunoassay (ELISA Kit for Defensin Beta 2, Cloud-Clone Corp., USA). Mann-Whitney U-test (U), the Kruskal-Wallis test (H) and the Dwass-Steel-Critchlow-Fligner post hoc test (W) determined the difference significance between the parameters. We estimated the parameter relationship and its strength using the Spearmanʼs rank correlation coefficient (rS). The critical significance level was p ≤ 0.05.The present study showed that the progression of the periodontal inflammation is accompanied by a sharp decrease in the concentration of HBD-2 in patients’ samples (H = 42.8, df =3, p < 0.001). Thus, the concentration of HBD-2 in the gingival crevicular fluid of the periodontally healthy subjects (control group) ranged from 225 to 1720 pg/ml (C = 738 [477; 1114] pg/ml). In patients with PG the median value of the peptide concentration was 242 [42.5; 610] pg/ml (Cmin = 19 pg/ml, Cmax = 1000 pg/ml). In patients with periodontitis it dropped to critically low levels: CAgP = 54 [3; 195] pg/ml (Cmin = 0, Cmax = 478 pg/ml) and ССP = 25.5 [0; 125] pg/ml (Cmin = 0, Cmax = 298 pg/ml). Thus, we can consider the level of HBD-2 in the gingival crevicular fluid – a potential predictor of the development of inflammatory periodontal diseases.