Estimation of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) Levels as an Inflammatory Cytokine in Chronic Generalized Periodontitis Patients

Background: Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) performs assignment of inflammatory cells by triggering the chemotaxis of monocytes and also various cellular events related with chemotaxis. Its increased GCF, saliva and serum levels in periodontal disease have been reported in previous studies. The present study is aimed to evaluate the part of MCP-1 in periodontal disease continuation and also to find out the effect of periodontal treatment on MCP-1 concentration in serum and saliva. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 subjects were divided into three groups (n = 30): chronic periodontitis pre scaling and root planning (group I), chronic periodontitis consisted of 30 subjects from group I, 4-6 weeks after treatment (group II) and healthy control (group III). Clinical parameters evaluated were gingival index (GI), oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and serum and saliva samples collected from each patient were quantified for MCP-1 using ELISA. Results: The mean MCP-1 concentration in serum and saliva was found to be the highest in group I, i.e. 160.54 pg/ml and 444.62 pg/ml respectively. The mean MCP-1 concentration in group II was 81.79 pg/ml and 262.98 pg/ml and in group III, it was 43.43 pg/ml and 151.91 pg/ ml respectively. Conclusion: MCP-1 level in serum and saliva rise with advancement of disease and decline after phase I therapy. Due to its certain correlation with clinical parameters, it can be examined as an inflammatory biomarker in periodontal disease. Hence, MCP-1 needs to be further reviewed as a therapeutic target.