Year : 2019

Volume : Volume 10

Issue : Issue 2

Address for correspondence :
Dr. Sidharth Shrikant Joshi.
sidharthjsh@rediffmail.com

Abstract

Background:  An antigen has been defined as any substance which, when introduced parenterally into the body, stimulates the production of an antibody with which it reacts specifically and in an observable manner. Each of the periodontal pathogens discussed in this review produces an array of antigens that stimulate epithelial cells and fibroblasts to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, these antigens stimulate pro-inflammatory cells such as macrophages, monocytes and neutrophils and these in turn produce a wide variety of cytokines that maintain a pro-inflammatory response and induce a Th1 (inflammatory) cytokine response. The development of a multispecies vaccine that is able to target all four bacterial species that have been implicated in the development of periodontitis may be more successful than a vaccine against a single species.

Keywords: Antigens, Cytokines,  Periodontitis, Vaccine.