Peripheral blood phagocyte function in acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis

Abstract

Eleven patients suffering from acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG) and 11 healthy controls, were analyzed for: 1) peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) chemotaxis; 2) monocyte chemotaxis; 3) PMN phagocytosis; and 4) PMN intracellular killing A modification of the Boyden chamber technique was developed to determine in vitro cellular migration in test and control groups. Nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction and a candidacidal assay were used to investigate PMN phagocytosis and intracellular killing. Ten of the patients with ANUG were found to have depressed PMN chemotaxis. The difference, compared to control subjects, was significant at the 95% confidence level. The impaired chemotaxis of PMN was due to an intrinsic defect in the cells themselves, as abnormal levels of cell‐directed chemotactic inhibitors, inactivators of chemoattractants, or complement‐derived chemoattractants were not demonstrated in the serum of the patients with ANUG. Monocyte chemotaxis was enhanced in one of the ANUG patients. No differences were found between ANUG patients and controls in PMN reduction of NBT and intracellular killing. Four of the 11 ANUG patients were re‐examined 18 months later, when they were free of the symptoms of ANUG. None of the subjects demonstrated impaired neutrophil chemotaxis at this point, indicating that the defect may be a transient one associated in time with the ANUG episode.