Objective: To measure the levels of plasma calprotectin in aggressive periodontitis (AgP) patients and to analyze the relationship between the plasma calprotectin and neutrophil count.
Methods: Venous blood samples were collected from 61 AgP patients and 48 periodontally healthy controls. Clinical examination consisted of bleeding index (BI), probing depth (PD), attachment loss measurements (AL) and percentage of severe sites. Plasma level of calprotectin was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results: The plasma concentrations of calprotectin in AgP patients [(2.1±1.1) mg/L] were significantly higher than those in healthy controls[(1.5±0.6) mg/L] (P < 0.01). The plasma concentration of calprotectin in AgP patients was positively correlated with BI (r = 0. 271, P = 0.035), PD (r = 0.437, P = 0.000), AL (r = 0.450, P = 0.000) and percentage of severe sites (r = 0.423, P = 0.001). While the neutrophil count was also positively correlated with the plasma concentrations of calprotectin in AgP patients (r = 0.380, P = 0.004).
Conclusions: AgP may have impact on the elevation of plasma level of calprotectin.