Key words: periodontitis, neutrophils, luminol, chemiluminescence.

Summary. The aim of the present investigation was to explore the oxidative activity of peripheral blood polymorphonuclear neutrophils of periodontitis patients and of healthy subjects stimulated with non-opsonized E. coli and lipopolysaccharide of E. coli. Material and methods. The leukocytes for this study were obtained from peripheral venous blood of 22 parodontitis patients and 16 healthy subjects. Oxidative activity of peripheral blood polymorphonuclear neutrophils was measured by method of the luminol-dependent chemiluminescence.

Results. The luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of stimulated neutrophils of periodontitis patients with non-opsonized E. coli increased less significantly (p<0.001) as compared to analogous chemiluminescence of control subjects (147126±8386 cpm and 189247±9134 cpm, respectively). However, the luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of stimulated neutrophils of periodontitis patients with lipopolysaccharide was five times higher than that of the subjects with intact periodontal tissues and comprised 13261±1251 cpm and 2627±638 cpm, respectively.

Conclusions. Our study results show a complex dependence of oxidative function of peripheral polymorphonuclear neutrophils of periodontitis patients upon the nature of stimulants. Therefore further attempts should be made to evaluate its significance in the etiopathogenesis of periodontal tissue diseases of inflammatory origin.

Correspondence to G. Žekonis, Clinic of Prosthetic Dentistry, Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital, Sukilėlių 51, 3000 Kaunas, Lithuania. E-mail: zekonisg@hotmail.com

Received 22 December 2003, accepted 2 March 2004