The Expression Profile of Lipopolysaccharide‐Binding Protein, Membrane‐Bound CD14, and Toll‐Like Receptors 2 and 4 in Chronic Periodontitis

Background: This study aimed to investigate the interrelationship of in vivo expression of lipopolysaccharide‐binding protein (LBP) and membrane‐bound CD14 (mCD14) in human gingival tissues as well as the coexpression of Toll‐like receptors (TLR) 2 and 4 in association with periodontal conditions. Methods: Gingival biopsies were collected from 43 subjects with chronic periodontitis, including periodontal pocket tissues (PoTs) and clinically healthy gingival tissues (HT‐Ps), and from 15 periodontally healthy subjects as controls (HT‐Cs). The expression of LBP, CD14, TLR 2, and TLR 4 was detected by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). Results: LBP and mCD14 peptides were simultaneously detected in 91% of PoTs, 85% of HT‐Ps, and 100% of HT‐Cs. LBP and mCD14 mRNAs were simultaneously detected in 55% of PoTs, 55% of HT‐Ps, and 75% of HT‐Cs. The expression of LBP was confined to the gingival epithelium, whereas mCD14 was observed around the epithelium‐connective tissue interface. A positive correlation existed between LBP and mCD14 peptides in both detection expression (rs = 0.608; P