Serum IgG antibodies reactive with lipoteichoic acid in adult patients with periodontitis

Abstract

IgG antibody levels to lipoteichoic acid (LTA), prepared from Streptococcus mutans cells, were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum samples from 149 subjects. An extract from Bacteroides gingivalis and lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli 055:B5 served as control antigens. The reference group comprised 28 systemically and periodontally healthy adults. The main test groups were: 52 persons with gingivitis only, and 69 patients with periodontitis. Within those groups, 37 patients had insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, another 20 patients were prospective or renal transplant recipients. The periodontitis patient group showed significantly (p less than 0.05) higher mean antibody value and higher frequency of extreme antibody responses to both LTA and B. gingivalis than the gingivitis group. LPS did not discriminate between the groups. Multiple regression analysis with gingivitis scores as the dependent variable selected plaque scores, anti-LTA antibody values and general health status as significant (p less than 0.05) regressors. The variance in radiographical alveolar bone loss was significantly (p less than 0.05) explained by age and by antibody values to B. gingivalis and to LTA. The patients with extreme immunological responsiveness to LTA or to B. gingivalis had about twice as much alveolar bone loss as those with normal serological reactivity. The results support the contention that LTA modulates the progression of periodontitis in humans.

Effects of a streptococcal lipoteichoic acid on complement activation in vitro

“…The degree of complement consumption was dependent upon the carbohydrate content of the hydrophihc backbone chain of the LTAs and on their miceliar organization, LTAs with negative charges masked by bulky carbohydrate groups were comparatively weak activators. Hence, structurai diversity in part explains the different dose-response curves obtained with the two LTA preparations tested (Fig, 2), Second, all adult sera examined contained IgG antibodies reactive with LTAs (Monefeldt & Tollefsen 1989, Wergeiand et al 1989). Since most LTAs cross-react immunoiogically through their common glycerol-phosphate backbone (Knox &Wicken 1975), some antibody-dependent complement activation might take place in the periodontal milieu.…”

Lipoteichoic acid promotes nuclear accumulation of β-catenin via AKT in human gingival fibroblasts

“…LTA is the major component of the outer membrane of these bacteria. LTA plays a role in diverse biological functions, including the induction of cytokines [3] and in the development of periodontitis [4].…”

Systemic effects of periodontal disease in cats

“…It is possible that the increased IgG is specific to oral pathogens. In humans with periodontitis, serum IgG to the lipoteichoic acid component of Grampositive plaque bacteria is associated with the amount of periodontal bone loss (Monefeldt and Tollefsen 1989). It is also possible that polyclonal B cell activation might occur in a T cell-independent fashion, by extensive cross-linking of membrane IgM by circulating microbial antigens, or by bystander stimulation mediated by cytokines induced by the periodontitis (Fagarasan and Honjo 2000;Vos et al 2000).…”