Characterization of cellular infiltrate, detection of chemokine receptor CCR5 and interleukin‐8 and RANTES chemokines in adult periodontitis

Leukocyte migration is essential for immune surveillance of tissues by focusing immune cells to sites of antigenic challenge. The control of leukocyte migration depends on the combined actions of adhesion molecules and a vast array of chemokines and their receptors. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the involvement of Interleukin‐8 (IL‐8), RANTES, the associated infiltrating cells and expression of CCR5 chemokine receptors in periodontitis; furthermore, the effect of periodontal therapy on these parameters was evaluated. Patients included in the study had moderate to advanced periodontal disease with at least 5–6 teeth with probing depth >6 mm, attachment loss ≥3 mm and extensive radiographic bone loss. The inflammatory infiltrate was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in gingival biopsies obtained from subjects at the beginning of the study and 2 months after periodontal treatment. Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) was collected for 30 seconds using periopaper strips, and chemokines were quantified by ELISA. The cellular components of the inflammatory infiltrate included B (CD19) and T (CD3, CD4+ and CD8+) lymphocytes and monocytes/macrophages (CD11c). CCR5 chemokine receptor expressing cells were exclusively found in periodontitis gingiva. IL‐8 and RANTES were detected in the periodontitis group, obtaining a total amount of 212.5 pg and 42.0 pg, respectively. However, IL‐8 was also detectable in the GCF of the healthy group (total amount of 44.8 pg). Periodontal therapy reduced the cell number in the infiltrate and the levels of IL‐8 and RANTES, suggesting a relationship between these chemokines and periodontal status. We propose that the presence of these chemokines and the expression of chemokine receptors may represent a marker of lymphocyte subsets with the ability to migrate to inflammatory sites.