Abstract
The purpose of these studies was to assess the role of T cells in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. First, the proportions of mononuclear cell subsets and the functional capacity of T cells were examined using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 72 subjects including 48 patients with periodontal disease. A wide distribution of values was observed among subjects in both subset proportions and T cell functions, and neither of them correlated significantly with clinical findings nor the types of periodontal disease. However, four subjects with elevated or depressed interleukin-2 (IL-2) productivity upon stimulation of the CD 3 molecule were detected, and their characteristic IL-2 productivity was further examined in terms of the intracellular signal transduction involved in IL-2 production. The results suggest that the process which leads to the elevation of intracellular calcium ion concentrations is concerned with the elevated IL-2 productivity observed in one subject, but not concerned with the depressed IL-2 productivity in three other subjects. One subject with elevated IL-2 productivity and two other subjects with depressed productivity were patients with juvenile periodontitis, while the remaining subject with depressed IL-2 productivity was periodontally -healthy . Incidentally, the latter, s elder sister with juvenile periodontitis showed the same IL-2 productivity characteristics. From the results obtained, it is suggested that the mechanisms of the onset and progression of periodontal disease are diverse, and each mechanism should be clarified individually.
