Interleukin-1 and interleukin-1 inhibitor production by human adherent cells stimulated with periodontopathic bacteria.

This study examined the effect of the putative periodontopathic bacteria Bacteroides gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum on the production of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-1 inhibitors by human plastic-adherent mononuclear cells from normal donors. Fusobacterium mortiferum was used as a non-oral, non-pathogenic control organism. Unstimulated adherent cells spontaneously secreted an IL-1 inhibitor, whereas stimulation with B. gingivalis induced the synthesis and secretion of IL-1. With both fusobacteria IL-1 was present in the intracellular environment, whereas the predominant secretory product was either IL-1 or an IL-1 inhibitor. These results suggest that bacteria are capable of modulating cytokine production by monocytes and may thereby alter the local immune response.