The expression levels of chemotaxis-related molecules CXC chemokine receptor 1, interleukin-8, and pro-platelet basic protein in gingival tissues.

Background/purpose: Excessive host immune response is thought to be an important cause of periodontal tissue damage during periodontitis. The potent chemotaxis produced by locally released chemokines is the key signal to trigger this response. Here, we aimed to investigate the expression of CXC chemokine receptor 1 (CXCR1), and chemokines interleukin-8 (IL-8) and pro-platelet basic protein (PPBP) in human inflammatory gingival tissues compared with healthy tissues.

Materials And Methods: A total of 54 human gingival tissues, 27 healthy and 27 inflammatory samples, were collected. Fifteen specimens of each group were employed for quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to determine the mRNA levels of CXCR1, IL-8, and PPBP. Six samples of each group were used for Western blotting to investigate the protein expression of CXCR1 and for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to evaluate the protein levels of IL-8 and PPBP, respectively.

Results: The mRNA levels of chemokine receptor CXCR1, chemokine IL-8, and PPBP in inflammatory gingival tissues were significantly higher than those in healthy controls ( < 0.05). The protein levels of CXCR1, IL-8, and PPBP in inflammatory gingival tissues were also significantly higher than those in healthy gingival tissues ( < 0.05).

Conclusion: When compared to healthy gingival tissues, the expression of CXCR1, IL-8, and PPBP in inflammatory gingival tissues is higher.