Effect of adoptive transfer of cloned Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans-specific T helper cells on periodontal disease.

Previously we isolated several Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans-specific T-cell clones from the spleens and lymph nodes of immunized Rowett rats. These clones were characterized as W3/13+, W3/25+, OX8-, and OX22-, suggesting a T helper (Th) phenotype. In the current experiments, 10(6) cells from a single A. actinomycetemcomitans-specific clone (A3) were adoptively transferred to a group (AaTh; n = 13) of normal heterozygous rats (rnu/+) at 28 days of age. A second group received no T cells (AaNT; n = 15), and a third group also received no T cells (NAaNT, n = 11). Beginning 1 day after transfer, the first and second groups were infected orally with A. actinomycetemcomitans for 5 consecutive days. The presence of infection was confirmed immediately after challenge and after 5 months, when the experiments were ended. Significantly higher numbers of lymphocytes were recovered from the gingival tissues of the first group than from those of either of the other groups. Also, this group showed significantly elevated (P less than 0.01) serum immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M antibody to A. actinomycetemcomitans in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay when compared with both other groups. Bone loss was significantly lower (P less than 0.01) in recipients of A. actinomycetemcomitans-specific cloned cells when compared with the other infected group and was approximately equal to the bone loss of the uninfected group. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that T-cell regulation can affect periodontal disease. In this regulation, T helper cells appear to interfere with periodontal bone loss.