METHOD FOR MONITORING PERIODONTAL DISEASE BY MONITORING ENDOTOXINS AND INFLAMMATORY AGENTS

摘要

A method for the quantitative determination of bacterial endotoxin present in a periodontal pocket of a subject has been developed. Said method consists in a) obtaining a sample taken from the periodontal pocket of the subject; b) bringing the sample into contact with an amoebocyte lysate under conditions such as to activate an enzyme capable of cleaving a bond between an arginyl group and a group containing nitrogen; c) bringing the activated enzyme into contact with a substrate comprising an arginyl group and an appropriate group containing nitrogen linked to the arginyl group so as to form an amine; d) treating the amine thus obtained to produce a detectable product; and e) quantitatively determining the quantity of product formed and thus the quantity of bacterial endotoxins present in the periodontal pocket. A method of diagnosing a periodontal disease has also been developed, comprising quantitatively determining the amount of bacterial endotoxin present in a periodontal pocket of a subject using the method of the present invention and correlating it the amount thus determined with the known amounts of entoxin causing periodontal diseases.