Researchers reverse bone loss in immune disorder

The absence of recruited neutrophils to the periodontal tissue in LAD patients leads to unrestrained local production of IL-23 and hence IL-17 and G-CSF. Increased IL-17 leads to inflammatory bone loss and dysbiosis, whereas increased G-CSF leads to excessive release of mature neutrophils from the bone marrow. In contrast, normal recruitment of neutrophils regulates the expression of the same cytokines maintaining homeostasis in terms of periodontal health and release of mature neutrophils from the bone marrow. Credit: Copyright Niki Moutsopoulos and George Hajishengallis

Patients with leukocyte adhesion deficiency, or LAD, suffer from frequent bacterial infections, including the severe gum disease known as periodontitis. These patients often lose their teeth early in life. New research by University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine researchers, teaming with investigators from the National Institutes of Health, has demonstrated a method of reversing this bone loss and inflammation.

The work was led by Penn Dental Medicine’s…