Correlation of salivary immunoglobulin A against lipopolysaccharide of Porphyromonas gingivalis with clinical periodontal parameters

BACKGROUND: A major challenge in clinical periodontics is to find a reliable molecular marker of periodontal tissue destruction. AIM: The aim of the present study was to assess, whether any correlation exists between salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA) level against lipopolysaccharide of Porphyromonas gingivalis and clinical periodontal parameters (probing depth and clinical attachment loss). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Totally, 30 patients with chronic periodontitis were included for the study based on clinical examination. Unstimulated saliva was collected from each study subject. Probing depth and clinical attachment loss were recorded in all selected subjects using University of North Carolina-15 periodontal probe. Extraction and purification of lipopolysaccharide were done from the standard strain of P. gingivalis (ATCC 33277). Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the level of IgA antibodies against lipopolysaccharide of P. gingivalis in the saliva of each subject by coating wells of ELISA kit with extracted lipopolysaccharide antigen. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The correlation between salivary IgA and clinical periodontal parameters was checked using Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient method and regression analysis. RESULTS: The significant correlation was observed between salivary IgA level and clinical periodontal parameters in chronic periodontitis patients. CONCLUSION: A significant strong correlation was observed between salivary IgA against lipopolysaccharide of P. gingivalis and clinical periodontal parameters which suggest that salivary IgA level against lipopolysaccharide of P. gingivalis can be used to predict the severity of periodontal destruction in chronic periodontitis patients.