INCREASED RESPIRATORY BURST ACTIVITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH NORMAL EXPRESSION OF IGG-FC-RECEPTORS AND COMPLEMENT RECEPTORS IN PERIPHERAL NEUTROPHILS FROM PATIENTS WITH JUVENILE PERIODONTITIS

The respiratory burst activity in peripheral neutrophils from nine pat ients with localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP) and age- and sex-mat ched healthy controls was studied by measuring the intensity of lumino l-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) induced by unopsonized and three dif ferently opsonized zymosan particles, formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylal anine (FMLP) or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). The neutrophils from LJP patients showed in general more intense CL with all activators tha n did their controls. Particulary, the CL response induced by unopsoni zed zymosan particles and FMLP were significantly higher (p < 0.05 and 0.001). When comparisons were made between female LJP patients (n=6) and matched controls, also serum-opsonized and IgG-opsonized zymosan p articles produced CL was significantly increased (p < 0.05). In order to determine whether the elevated CL responses to zymosan particles we re due to altered levels of the interacting receptors on neutrophil su rface, an immunofluorescence analysis of the expression of IgG-Fc-rece ptors (FcR) and complement receptors (CR) was performed with flow cyto metry. No significant difference in the expression of FcRII, FcRIII, C R1 and CR3 was detected in LJP group compared to controls. Since the e levated CL responses can not be explained by changes in receptor numbe rs it is hypothesized that the increased respiratory burst activity in LJP may be caused by altered post receptor signalling pathway.