A new research report published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology
shows how the bacteria known for causing gum disease--Porphyromonas
gingivalis--manipulates the body's immune system to disable normal
processes that would otherwise destroy it. Specifically, the report
shows that this pathogen prompts the production of the anti-inflammatory
molecule Interleukin-10 (IL-10). This, in turn, inhibits the function
of T-cells, which would otherwise help to protect the host from this
particular microbial infection.
"Since greater than 50 percent of the U.S. population over 50 years-of-age develop adult periodontal disease, we hope that the results of our study will ultimately help in the development of novel treatments that could prevent or ameliorate the chronic infection caused by the pathogen P. gingivalis,'" said Jannet Katz, D.D.S., Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
"Since greater than 50 percent of the U.S. population over 50 years-of-age develop adult periodontal disease, we hope that the results of our study will ultimately help in the development of novel treatments that could prevent or ameliorate the chronic infection caused by the pathogen P. gingivalis,'" said Jannet Katz, D.D.S., Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.