Compromised neutrophil function has been found in a number of patients with localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP), although the pathogenic mechanism is unknown. Since infection with Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is frequently found in patients with LJP, we have evaluated in vitro the effect of a bacterial extract of A. actinomycetemcomitans on the development of the respiratory burst by neutrophils. Pre-incubation of neutrophils with bacterial extract increased H2O2 induced by FMLP and zymosan in a dose-dependent fashion. Substitution of FMLP for bacterial extract produced similar results. Moreover, FMLP and bacterial extract had an additive effect on superoxide production following phagocytosis of zymosan. In contrast, bacterial extract significantly decreased PMA-stimulated H2O2, but pre-incubation with FMLP instead of bacterial extract failed to decrease PMA-stimulated H2O2. Bacterial extract did not change the percentage of cells activated by FMLP, opsonized zymosan, or PMA. Heat-treated bacterial extract induced effects similar to non-treated extract. Bacterial extract treated with proteinase K or phenol extraction increased FMLP or zymosan stimulated H2O2 equivalent to non-treated bacterial extract. In contrast, proteinase K or phenol extraction abolished the inhibitory effect of bacterial extract on PMA-stimulated H2O2 production. The bacterial extract component(s) that inhibits PMA-stimulated H2O2 is therefore a protein(s), resistant to 56-degrees-C, and is not endotoxin. The partially activated state of PMNs exposed to A. actinomycetemcomitans extract, combined with their reduced ability to respond to a protein kinase C-dependent stimulus, may partially explain the abnormalities noted in LJP patients.
