The Influence of Sodium Fluoride on Chemiluminescence of Neutrophilic Leukocytes

SUMMARY In spite of wide use of fluoridated dental products in dentistry, until now there are no available data on the influence of fluoride (F-) on oxidative activity of neutrophil leucocytes, which play the major role in protecting periodontal tissues and oral mucosa from pathogens. The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the effect of sodium fluoride on the oxidative activity of venous blood neutro- phils of the periodontally healthy control subjects (n=53) and patients with chronic periodontitis (n=52). Luminol-dependent chemiluminescence was measured after incubation of the neutrophils with NaF (5, 10 and 10 μM, 7.5 and 15 mM F-) and activation with nonopsonized E.coli and opsonized zymosan. The level of chemiluminescence of the neutrophils depended on concentration of NaF in the incu- bation medium and the state of periodontal tissues. Low concentration of fluoride (5 μM and 10 μM F-) had no influence on the chemiluminescence. Luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of the non acti- vated and activated neutrophils reliably increased at a concentration of 50 μM F-. At concentrations of 7.5 and 15 mM F-, chemiluminescence of non activated neutrophils in both the studied groups reliably increased, whereas chemiluminescence of the activated neutrophils decreased. At concentrations of 7.5 and 15 mM F-, the level of chemiluminescence of non activated neutrophils was reliably higher in patients with periodontitis than that of healthy subjects. According to the data of this study, NaF effecting the production of reactive oxygen species by neutrophilic leucocytes may influence the protection periodontal tissues from pathogenic microorgan- isms.