Department of Orthodontics, University of Bonn, Welschnonnenstr. 17, D-53111 Bonn, Germany.
Cell Immunol. 2012;272(2):137-43. doi: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2011.10.020. Epub 2011 Nov 2.
The objective of this in vitro study was to examine the immunomodulatory impact of human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells on the nature and magnitude of the leukocyte infiltrate in periodontal inflammation, particularly with regard to Th17 cells. PDL cells were challenged with pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-17A, and IFN-γ) and analyzed for the expression of cytokines involved in periodontal immunoinflammatory processes (IL-6, MIP-3 alpha, IL-23A, TGFß1, IDO, and CD274). In order to further investigate a direct involvement of PDL cells in leukocyte function, co-culture experiments were conducted. The expression of the immunomodulatory cytokines studied was significantly increased under pro-inflammatory conditions in PDL cells. Although PDL cells did not stimulate leukocyte proliferation or Th17 differentiation, these cells induced the recruitment of leukocytes. The results of our study suggest that PDL cells might be involved in chronic inflammatory mechanisms in periodontal tissues and thus in the transition to an adaptive immune response in periodontitis.
本体外研究旨在探讨人牙周韧带（PDL）细胞对牙周炎症中白细胞浸润的性质和程度的免疫调节作用，特别是针对 Th17 细胞。PDL 细胞受到促炎细胞因子（IL-1β、IL-17A 和 IFN-γ）的刺激，并分析参与牙周免疫炎症过程的细胞因子（IL-6、MIP-3α、IL-23A、TGFβ1、IDO 和 CD274）的表达。为了进一步研究 PDL 细胞在白细胞功能中的直接作用，进行了共培养实验。在 PDL 细胞中，促炎条件下这些免疫调节细胞因子的表达显著增加。尽管 PDL 细胞没有刺激白细胞增殖或 Th17 分化，但这些细胞诱导了白细胞的募集。我们的研究结果表明，PDL 细胞可能参与牙周组织的慢性炎症机制，并因此参与牙周炎向适应性免疫反应的转变。
