Chemotactic response of neutrophil polymorphonuclear leukocytes in juvenile periodontitis measured by the Leading Front method.

Previous studies have implied that chemotaxis defects of neutrophil polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) can be found in approximately 75% of patients with juvenile periodontitis (JP). In the present study, the Leading Front (LF) method was used to study whether the chemotactic response of PMNs from JP-patients differed from that of adult periodontitis (AP) patients and periodontally healthy control individuals (C). Sixteen JP-patients, 21 AP-patients, and 13 C-individuals were studied. PMNs from each individual, and from a daily reference person were tested against three chemoattractants (N-f-Met-Leu-Phe (FMLP), casein (CA), bacterial chemotactic factor (BCF] and a neutral buffer (Gey's solution (GEY]. Regardless of the test solution a greater difference among individuals could be observed in the JP-group than in the other groups. Apart from this, there were no differences among the groups as regards CA, BCF, and GEY. However, with FMLP, the PMNs of the JP-group had a significantly greater migration distance as compared to the other groups. This finding can probably be ascribed to the fact that the LF method detects other aspects of the PMN response than do the methods used for earlier studies of JP. The finding, in this study, of an enhanced PMN response in JP as regards FMLP may be a reflection of the presence of a non-uniform PMN population whose composition in JP differs from that of the other groups.