Tim-3 And Galectin-9 Expression On Macrophages In Human Chronic Periapical Diseases

Background and Objective:The chronic periapical diseases are the immune reactions to the bacterial infection of the dental pulps,which cause destruction of the perapical and perifocal alveolar bone.The previous study reported that chronic periapical diseases related to mix infection about gram-postitive bacteria and gram-negetive bacteria including Porphyromonas gingivalis,Prevotella intermedia,and so on.The pathological features of the periapical tissues are abundant expression of immunocompetent cells and the secretion of various cytokines(CKs),through a complex interaction,the final activation of osteoclasts,resulting in periapical alveolar bone and absorption of cementum damage.Macrophages(M?)are important immunocompetent cells in periapical diseases and play a key role in the immune response,development of lesions and long-term inflammation of chronic apical periodontitis.M?can be regulated by different transcriptional factors and had several polarization,mainly as classically(M1,pro-inflammatory)activated and alternatively(M2,anti-inflammatory)activated.T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-3(Tim-3)is a member of Tim gene family,a group of cell surface receptors.Since the T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3(Tim-3)was founded from 2002,as the marker of Th1 cells,terminated the Th1 response in tissue sites in Tim-3-Gal-9 pathway.And recent evidence clearly demonstrated an involvement of Tim-3-Gal-9 pathway in this immune escape mechanismTim-3 is expressed by Th1 and Th17 cells,Treg,myeloid cells,M?,and tumor-associated dendritic cells.However the Tim-3 and Gal-9 expression in the M?and the pathogenic mechanisms of human periapical disease are yet unknown.In this article,we observed the expression of Tim-3 and Gal-9 expression in the M?of different human chronic periapical diseases,and investigated the specific role of Tim-3 and Gal-9 expression in the pathogenesis of chronic periapical diseases.The present study was undertaken to observe Tim-3 and Gal-9 expression on M?in human chronic periapical diseases,analyze the role of immunopathogenesis of Tim-3 and Gal-9 expression on M?in human chronic periapical diseases.METHODSA total of 72 samples were divided into three groups,healthy control(N=22),chronic periapical periodongtitis(N=24),and periapical cyst(N=26).All samples were fixed into paraffin-embedded specimens via the following:1)histopathology;2)immunohistochemistry;3)immunofluorescence.The maker of M?was cluster of differentiation(CD14).RESULTSCompared with the healthy control group,the number of Tim-3~+CD14~+cells and Gal~+CD14~+cells(cells/mm2)were significantly higher in the chronic periapical disease tissues.And there was no statistical difference in the number of double-positive cells in the two chronic periapical groups.CONCLUSIONSThe process of chronic periapical diseases were associated with an enhancement of M?,in which a high expression of Tim-3 and Gal-9.Maybe the Tim-3-CD14 and Gal-9-CD14 double-positive cells play an important role in the pathology of human chronic periapical diseases.