Oral Microbiota and Immune System Crosstalk: A Translational Research
Andrea Ballini, Gianna Dipalma, Ciro Gargiulo Isacco, Mariarosaria Boccellino, Marina Di Domenico, Luigì Santacroce, Kieu C. D. Nguyen, Salvatore Scacco, Maura Calvani, Anna Boddi, Fabiana Corcioli, Lucio Quagliuolo, Stefania Cantore, Francesco Martelli, Francesco Inchingolo
Abstract
BACKGROUND: induce predominantly pro-inflammatory (M1-like phenotypes) responses, while oral commensal microbiota primarily elicits macrophage functions consistent with the anti-inflammatory (M2-like phenotypes). METHODS: In healthy individuals vs. periodontal disease patients' blood samples, the differentiation process from monocyte to M1 and M2 was conducted using two typical growth factors, the granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and the macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF). RESULTS: In contrast with the current literature our outcomes showed a noticeable increase of macrophage polarization from healthy individuals vs. periodontal patients. The biological and clinical significance of these data was discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Our translational findings showed a significant variance between control versus periodontal disease groups in M1 and M2 marker expression within the second group significantly lower skews differentiation of M2-like macrophages towards an M1-like phenotype. Macrophage polarization in periodontal tissue may be responsible for the development and progression of inflammation-induced periodontal tissue damage, including alveolar bone loss, and modulating macrophage function may be a potential strategy for periodontal disease management.