Research article Soluble CD14 in periodontitis

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binds to soluble (s)CD14. We investigated which factors contribute to variations in sCD14 levels in periodontitis, a chronic infectious disease of tooth-supporting tissues associated with endotoxemia and leading to inflammation and subsequently loss of teeth. The sCD14 levels were determined by ELISA in healthy controls (n 57) and untreated patients (59 moderate and 46 severe) and their relation with markers of systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein levels, and leukocyte, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts) was assessed. Anti-Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and anti-Porphyromonas gingivalis IgG levels were established by ELISA and CD14260 genotype was determined in a TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. Increased levels of sCD14 were more frequent among periodontitis patients (P 0.026) and showed a severity-dependence with increasing levels of periodontal breakdown (P 0.008). In patients, levels of sCD14 correlated positively with CRP (P 0.043), leukocyte numbers (P 0.011) and negatively with anti-A. actinomycetemcomitans IgG (P 0.007). In a multivariate analysis, sCD14 levels were predicted by ethnicity, age, educational level, and in Caucasian subjects also by the severity of periodontal destruction, but not by anti-P. gingivalis IgG or the CD14260 genotype. Periodontitis is associated with elevated levels of sCD14