2 Expression of human β-defensin-2 and IL-8 following IL-1 β stimulation of human gingival epithelial cells in vitro

Abstract

We investigated the difference between the in vitro expression of human β-defensin-2 (hBD-2) and the production of IL-8 in primary human gingival epithelial cells (HGEC) in response to challenge with various concentrations of IL-1β, which is one of the inflammatory cytokines. mRNA expression of hBD-2 in HGEC stimulated under various conditions was assessed by the semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and culture supernatants from HGEC after stimulation under various conditions were analyzed quantitatively by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. Although the levels of hBD-2 mRNA and IL-8 production in HGEC stimulated with IL-1 β tended to increase with exposure time, the levels were not significantly changed by variations in concentration. These findings suggest that the expression of hBD-2 and IL-8 was observed in IL-1 β-stimulated HGEC regardless of the severity of the inflammation.