Immunoglobulins In Periodontal Tissues: I. Concentrations of Immunoglobulins in Normal and Inflamed Gingiva

a result of the interaction of oral bacteria or their metabolic products and the host's periodontal tissues. The immune response is now considered to be an important result of this interaction and both components of the immune response, humoral immunity and cell-mediated immunity, have been implicated in the pathogenesis and progress of periodontal disease.1 The possible contribution of the humoral immunity to the inflammatory reaction of diseased gingiva has been suspected because plasma cells, producers of Immunoglobulins, repeatedly have been reported to be the predominant cells in the chronic gingival lesions.2"6 Results of other investigations indicate, however, that lymphocytes rather than plasma cells are the predominant cells in early gingivitis.7 Lymphocytes also may approximate or exceed the number of plasma cells in severely inflamed gingival tissue.8"10 Both types of cells are known to be associated with the production of Immunoglobulins which, together with other components of the immune response, may influence the pathogenesis of periodontal inflammation. Brandtzaeg and Kraus11 and Brandtzaeg12 have reported that in healthy gingiva the majority of plasma cells contained IgG, very few cells contained IgA, and cells containing IgM were observed only rarely. In inflamed gingiva they noted an increase of cells containing IgA and very few containing IgM. Thonard et al.13 found IgA and IgM but not IgG in gingiva of patients with Periodontitis. Genco, et al.u and Genco and Krygier,15