Association of macrophage migration inhibitory factor gene polymorphisms with chronic periodontitis in a South Eastern Iranian population

Rebalancing the Oral Microbiota as an Efficient Tool in Endocrine, Metabolic and Immune Disorders

The current treatment and prevention procedures of oral disorders follow a very targeted approach considering mouth and its structures as a system that is completely independent, than the rest of the body. The main therapeutic approach is to keep the levels of oral bacteria and hygiene in an acceptable range compatible with oral-mouth health, completely separated from systemic microbial homeostasis (eubiosis vs dysbiosis). This can negatively impact the diagnosis of a more complex systemic disease and its progression. Dysbiosis occurs as a consequence of imbalance in oral and gut microbiota which leads to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease, as reported in current literature. Likewise, there is a need to highlight and develop a novel philosophical approach in the treatments for oral diseases that will necessarily involve nonconventional approaches.

Oral Microbiota and Immune System Crosstalk: A Translational Research

BACKGROUND

Oral pathogens may exert the ability to trigger differently the activation of local macrophage immune responses, for instance Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans induce predominantly pro-inflammatory (M1-like phenotypes) responses, while oral commensal microbiota primarily elicits macrophage functions consistent with the anti-inflammatory (M2-like phenotypes).

METHODS

In healthy individuals vs. periodontal disease patients' blood samples, the differentiation process from monocyte to M1 and M2 was conducted using two typical growth factors, the granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and the macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF).

RESULTS

In contrast with the current literature our outcomes showed a noticeable increase of macrophage polarization from healthy individuals vs. periodontal patients. The biological and clinical significance of these data was discussed.

CONCLUSIONS

Our translational findings showed a significant variance between control versus periodontal disease groups in M1 and M2 marker expression within the second group significantly lower skews differentiation of M2-like macrophages towards an M1-like phenotype. Macrophage polarization in periodontal tissue may be responsible for the development and progression of inflammation-induced periodontal tissue damage, including alveolar bone loss, and modulating macrophage function may be a potential strategy for periodontal disease management.

The expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in the non-small cell lung cancer

Objective

The objective was to investigate the expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as the effects of macrophage MIF on tumor cells.

Methods

The human NSCLC cell strains H358 and H524 were selected as research objects. The Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and Western Blot were utilized to detect the expression levels of MIF in human NSCLC cell strains. The lentiviral plasmid was utilized for MIF-mRNA interference. The expression levels of MIF before and after transfection were compared. The cell strains were cultured and proliferated for cell count and comparison.

Results

H358 showed MIF high expression while H524 showed MIF low expression. Once the H358 cells were constructed as silent MIF expression, compared with the original H358 cells, the difference was statistically significant. Once the H524 cells were constructed as high MIF expression, compared with original H524 cells, the difference was statistically significant. Being cultured for respective 3, 5, and 7 days, the transfected H358 cells showed a significant decrease in proliferative activity compared with original H358 cells, while the transfected H524 cells showed a significant increase in proliferative activity compared with original H524 cells.

Conclusion

MIF has high expression in H358 cells while low expression in H524 cells. The expression of MIF could enhance the proliferative activity of NSCLC tumor cells.

Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Levels in Gingival Crevicular Fluid, Saliva, and Serum of Chronic Periodontitis Patients

Chronic periodontitis (CP) is an infection that affects the teeth supporting structure. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an important effector cytokine of the innate immune system. Due to its functional characteristics, MIF may be involved in the immunopathology of CP. The aim of the present study was to evaluate MIF levels in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), saliva, and serum of CP patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 subjects divided into two groups: subjects with CP (n= 30) and periodontally healthy subjects without CP (n=30). MIF was quantified in GCF, saliva, and serum of all participants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. MIF concentrations were higher in GCF, saliva, and serum in the group with CP compared with the group without CP and a higher MIF concentration was observed in GCF (p=0.001) and saliva (p=0.009) in the group with CP. MIF intragroup comparisons between fluids demonstrated significant high levels of MIF in saliva compared with GCF and serum in both study groups (p<0.05). A positive correlation was found between clinical signs and MIF concentration in GCF (p<0.05). There is an association between the MIF and the clinical signs of the disease. Therefore, MIF could have an important role in the pathology and progression of CP.