EX-VIVO STUDIES OF POLYMORPHONUCLEAR NEUTROPHILS FROM PATIENTS WITH EARLY-ONSET-PERIODONTITIS .3. CHEMILUMINESCENCE RESPONSE ANALYSIS

Previous studies have indicated that oxygen-free radicals may cause da mage to the periodontal tissues. This study compared the luminol-depen dant chemiluminescence response (after stimulation with either opsoniz ed zymosan or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)) of peripheral blood pol ymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) isolated from human subjects with a he althy periodontium (n = 7), gingivitis (n = 8), adult periodontitis (n = 8), or early-onset periodontitis (n = 17). These results were also compared with those obtained in a larger reference group which consist s of 50 subjects without infection or inflammation, selected on the ba sis of laboratory investigations. An enhanced response was defined as being 2 standard deviations above the reference group mean; a reduced response was defined as being 2 standard deviations below this mean. A lthough PMN from patients with either gingivitis or periodontitis were often functionally activated (when compared to the PMN from the refer ence group), no significant differences could be found between the 4 g roups, with regard to the chemiluminescence response means obtained in a basal state or after stimulation.