RESUMO
AIM: This study was designed to evaluate the presence of a new regulator of innate immunity in periodontitis: the soluble form of triggering receptor on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). MATERIAL AND METHODS: GCF was collected at four sites, three pathological and one healthy from 17 patients with periodontitis, and at one healthy site from 23 control patients. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit was used to quantify sTREM-1 levels in collected crevicular fluid. Recorded clinical parameters were probing pocket depth (PPD), bleeding upon probing, tooth mobility, plaque index (PlI), and gingival index (GI). RESULTS: The mean sTREM-1 level in collected fluid was significantly higher in pathological sites than in healthy sites from either periodontal or control patients: 353.9 pg/ml, 50.2 pg/ml and 25.4 pg/ml respectively. Soluble TREM-1 concentration was significantly correlated with PPD. The sTREM-1 levels increased with the augmentation of the PlI and GI scores and levelled off at score 2 for both indexes. In multivariate analysis, periodontal pocket depth and smoking status were statistically associated with highest sTREM-1 concentrations. CONCLUSION: sTREM-1 was detected in crevicular fluid and its concentration was higher in pathological sites. It could be a marker of periodontal tissue destruction.
