Salivary levels of α2-macroglobulin, α1-antitrypsin, C-reactive protein, cathepsin G and elastase in humans with or without destructive periodontal disease

Five host-response indicators were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays on unstimulated whole saliva samples from 45 adults (19 male, 26 female). The participants were distributed among four dentate groups representing oral health (I), gingivitis (II), moderate periodontitis (III), and severe periodontitis (IV), and one group of edentulous volunteers (V). Levels of the host-response indicators varied widely, from zero, primarily with groups I and V, to relatively high values with groups II, III and IV. The levels ranged as follows: α2-macroglobulin, 0–4941 ng/ml; α1-antitrypsin, 2–2271 ng/ml; C-reactive protein, 0–472 pg/ml; cathepsin G, 0–6035 ng/ml; elastase, 0–164 ng/ml (free), 0–732 ng/ml (bound to α1-antitrypsin), and 0–318 ng/ml (bound to α2-macroglobulin). Statistical evaluation by planned contrasts showed that levels of host-response indicators for group I were significantly lower (except for α1-antitrypsin) than for groups II, III, and IV. A trend analysis of groups I-IV showed that mean scores (again, except for α1-antitrypsin) increased significantly in a positive, monotonic manner. Group V showed significantly lower values for elastase than in the other groups. The findings demonstrate that these factors can be detected in whole saliva and suggest that, except for α1-antitrypsin, their levels are directly related to an individualʹs periodontal status.