[Chemiluminescence of phagocytic cells in chronic gingivitis and adult periodontitis].

Measurement of chemiluminescence (CL) produced by phagocytic cells spontaneously or upon stimulation by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) was performed in patients with gingivitis and adult periodontitis, and in control healthy subjects. The study was performed simultaneously on phagocytic cells obtained from peripheral blood and from gingival blood, and on crevicular leukocytes. An elevated CL production was obtained in quiescent and PMA-stimulated phagocytic cells from peripheral blood in patients with gingivitis or periodontitis compared to non-diseased controls. Chemiluminescence produced by unstimulated crevicular phagocytes was similar to that of peripheral blood phagocytes in normal subjects, but it was decreased in periodontitis. Upon PMA stimulation, the CL response of crevicular phagocytes remained low in the three groups of subjects.