Analysis of two common alantitrypsin deficiency alleles (PI*Z and PI*S) in subjects with periodontitis

Background: pialpha(1)-Antitrypsin deficiency is a genetically determined condition resulting in predisposition to certain inflammatory diseases due to a protease: antiprotease imbalance that is exacerbated by tobacco smoking. Limited evidence suggests that there may be a significant enrichment of mild alpha(1)-antitrypsin deficiency phenotypes in subjects with chronic inflammatory periodontal disease. Objective: To examine the prevalence of two common alpha(1)-antitrypsin deficiency alleles (PI*Z and PI*S) in a UK population of subjects with periodontitis. Subjects and methods: The prevalence of PI*M, PI*S and PI*Z allele combinations was determined in 31 subjects with periodontitis and compared with 31 healthy control subjects matched for smoking status, ethnicity, age and gender. alpha(1)-Antitrypsin genotyping was performed by multiplex real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using DNA extracted from whole blood. Results: There was no difference in the proportion of any alpha(1)-antitrypsin genotype found in the diseased and control populations. Conclusions: We did not find evidence to support an association between mutant PI* alleles and periodontitis in a small, controlled study. Larger studies will be required to clarify the relationship between alpha(1)-antitrypsin genotype and susceptibility to inflammatory periodontal disease.