El Antígeno O de Porphyromonas gingivalis participa en la modulación de los niveles de Interleuquina-8 y de la migración en células epiteliales gingivales

Abstract

La periodontitis es una enfermedad inflamatoria crónica de las estructuras que soportan las piezas dentales, la cual está asociada a un proceso infeccioso causado por un cambio en la ecología local de la biopelícula bacteriana oral. Un 90% de la población chilena presenta signos clínicos de esta patología. Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) se ha propuesto como un agente etiológico clave en la periodontitis. En nuestro laboratorio, se obtuvieron aislados clínicos de P. gingivalis provenientes de individuos sanos, en los que se vio ausencia de la región del antígeno O (AgO) del lipopolisacárido (LPS). En cambio, en aislados clínicos provenientes de pacientes con periodontitis, el LPS está completo. Además, se ha observado anteriormente que cuando células de epitelio gingival (GECs, por sus siglas en inglés) eran infectadas con una cepa silvestre de P. gingivalis (W50) había un aumento del ARNm del Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a diferencia de lo que ocurre cuando son infectadas con una mutante isogénica carente de AgO polimérico (cepa ΔPG1051), sugiriendo que el AgO sería importante para el reconocimiento de la bacteria. Una de las consecuencias de la activación de TLRs es el incremento en los niveles de citoquinas pro-inflamatorias. Esto se ha relacionado con un aumento en la capacidad migratoria en varios tipos celulares, incluyendo a GECs, donde la migración favorece la formación de saco periodontal

Periodontitis is a highly prevalent chronic inflammatory disease in Chile and worldwide that mainly affects the tissues supporting de teeth. This disease is associated with an infectious process caused by a change in the local ecology of the subgingival biofilm. It has been proposed that the bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) plays a key role in disease onset and progression because this bacterium induces dysbiosis that contributes to the inflammatory process. In a previous study from our group, we observed that the O antigen (OAg) region of the lipopolysaccharide contributes to the inhibition of apoptosis induced by P. gingivalis in epithelial cells, which correlates with an increase in the expression of TLR4. One of the consequences of the activation of TLRs is the increase in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This has been related to an increase in the migratory capacity of several cell types, including human oral epithelial cells, where enhanced migration is associated with formation of periodontal pockets. Considering this background, the objective was to determine if TLR4 activation mediated by AgO can increase the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and to promote migration an oral epithelial cell line OKF6 / TERT2. For this, the level of TLR4 (flow cytometry), TNF-α, IL-8 and IL-1β (multiplex) and migration (Boyden's chamber) were measured after infecting with the previously mentioned strains. Our results show that infection with P. gingivalis does not change the TLR4 levels on the surface of OKF6 / TERT2 cells, independent of the presence or absence of AgO. On the other hand, levels of IL-8 decreased only with the virulent strain of P. gingivalis W50, unlike the isogenic mutant in LPS that does not produce AgO, which does not change them. These changes are independent of TLR4. Finally, the strain with a complete LPS (W50) produces an increase in migration. However, in the absence of AgO there are not significant changes with respect to uninfected cells. In conclusion, in this work we found that the AgO of P. gingivalis participates in the modulation of pro-inflammatory marker levels (IL-8) and cell migration, which could contribute to the development of periodontitis