Association between mannose-binding lectin levels and gene polymorphisms in chronic periodontitis and response to treatment.

BACKGROUND: The aims of the present study were: (1) to investigate mannose-binding lectin (MBL) gene exon-1 polymorphisms in Turkish subjects with chronic periodontitis (CP), (2) to assess the association between these polymorphisms and plasma MBL levels, (3) to determine the effects of MBL genotypes on the outcomes of non-surgical periodontal therapy.

METHODS: A total of 172 subjects were included in the present study. Genomic DNA was obtained from the peripheral blood of 83 CP patients and 89 periodontally healthy subjects. The MBL levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The MBL gene exon-1 polymorphisms were genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method.

RESULTS: Subjects homozygous for the frequent allele A had higher MBL plasma levels compared with rare allele B carriers. This difference in MBL plasma levels was statistically significant both in CP patients and healthy subjects. The distribution of MBL gene codon 54 genotypes and allele frequencies did not differ significantly between study groups. All study subjects were the MBL gene codon 52 and 57 frequent allele A carriers. Codon 54 B allele carriers had similar clinical periodontal parameters compared with AA genotypes after non-surgical periodontal therapy.

CONCLUSIONS: The present study failed to find any significant association between the MBL gene codon 54 polymorphisms and severe CP in a Turkish population. MBL gene rare allele carriers had lower MBL plasma levels in both study groups. It seems that MBL gene codon 54 B allele carriage may not influence the outcome of periodontal therapy.