Differentiation of monocytes during inflammation : an in vitro study on expression of surface markers

Abstract

Various surface markers of monocytes and differentiating macrophages (in vitro) of both healthy volunteers and adult periodontitis patients with localized periodontal abscess formation were investigated by flow cytometry. In healthy volunteers, a relative expression of the markers on monocytes/macrophages differed dramatically during 7 days of culture. In the presence of lymphocytes, the differentiating macrophages did. not reach the same state of differentiation as those macrophages cultured wit ocytes. Macrophages co-cultured with lymphocytes showed decreased expression of CD14, CD11c and CD71. This suggests that one of the mechanisms which lymphocytes can modulate the immune system is via regulation of monocytes/macrophages differentiation. In periodontitis, differentiating macrophages expressed adhesion proteins (CD11a, CD54), differentiation antigens (CD11c, CD36 and CD71) and HLA-DR in a relatively higher quantity than in the healthy group. Results from this study may explain the responsive of monocytes in periodontitis patients during exposure to microorganism and/or its products.