Commensal Bacteria Influence Innate Status Within Gingival Tissues: A Pilot Study

Background: The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of commensal bacteria to the innate defense status of gingival tissue by examining the expression of innate host defense mediators in germ‐free and conventionally reared groups in both BALBc/ByJ and SCID C.B17 mice. Methods: Semiquantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) was utilized to determine the constitutive levels within each gingival tissue set (N = 5) for: E‐selectin, P‐selectin, interleukin‐(IL)‐8 homologue, tumor necrosis factor‐α, IL‐1β, intercellular adhesion molecule‐(ICAM)‐1, ICAM‐2, and vascular adhesion molecule‐(VCAM)‐1. In addition, IL‐1β protein content was determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Gingival samples revealed that only IL‐1β mRNA expression among all mediators examined was significantly reduced in conventionally reared mice (P