Assessment of Salivary ABO Blood Group Antigens and Secretor Status in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan: A Correlational Analysis of 300 Samples

Aim To estimate the ABO blood groups from saliva samples and to correlate with the secretor status. Materials and methods A sample size of 300 individuals was selected from the outpatient department of Surendera Dental College & Research Institute, Sriganganagar, India, and from dental camps organized by the college in the near vicinity. Informed consent was obtained from selected individuals to collect their blood and saliva samples. Salivary samples were evaluated for ABO blood groups by the absorption-inhibition method. The indicator erythrocytes were prepared after blood group confirmation from serum. It was used to identify the blood group antigens in saliva to confirm the secretor status. The results were tabulated and the Pearson's chi-squared test was performed for statistical analysis using SPSS 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Results The present study showed that 282 subjects (94%) were Rhesus positive and 18 subjects (6%) were Rhesus negative. Two-hundred-and-fifty subjects (83.3%) were secretors of antigens in saliva. Non-secretors were 50 subjects (16.7%). We identified that 250/300 were secretors and the majority were in AB & A group. Conclusion Blood groups could not be detected from the saliva of subjects who were non-secretors. In contrast, blood types could be accurately identified from the saliva of those subjects who were secretors of antigen.

Secretor Status of ABO Antigens in Saliva of a Defined Group of Iranian Patients with Pemphigus Vulgaris: A Case-Control Study

INTRODUCTION

Pemphigus is a chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disease which can cause blisters and mucocutaneous erosions. ABO secretor refers to those who secrete ABO blood group antigens based on their blood type in body fluids such as saliva, sweat, tears, semen, and serum. Previous studies showed that nonsecretor people are more prone to certain autoimmune diseases.

AIM

The aim of this study was to determine the ABO secretor status in the saliva of patients with pemphigus vulgaris.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This case-control study was conducted on 35 patients with pemphigus vulgaris and 35 healthy controls. The two groups were matched for age and gender. Pemphigus vulgaris diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology and direct immunofluorescence microscopy. ABO blood grouping was done, and 5 ml of unstimulated saliva was collected to determine secretor status. Secretors were recognized from nonsecretors by the Wiener agglutination inhibition test. Results were extracted by using statistical chi-square and Fisher's exact tests.

RESULTS

16 male and 19 female patients aged 49.43 ± .12.37 years were compared with 16 male and 19 female controls aged 46.43 ± 11.88 years. The most frequent blood group among case and control groups was O (54.3% and 60%, respectively). There was no significant difference in blood groups (P=0.73). 90% of the samples were ABO secretors. The patient group included 31 (88.6%) and the control group included 32 (91.4%) ABO secretors; there was no significant difference between the two groups (P=1.000).

CONCLUSION

In this study, we observed that the people with nonsecretor status in comparison with the people with secretor status are not more susceptible to develop pemphigus vulgaris.

The Human Glycoprotein Salivary Agglutinin Inhibits the Interaction of DC-SIGN and Langerin with Oral Micro-Organisms

Salivary agglutinin (SAG), also known as gp340 or SALSA, is a glycoprotein encoded by the Deleted in Malignant Brain Tumours 1 gene and is abundantly present in human saliva. SAG aggregates bacteria and viruses, thereby promoting their clearance from the oral cavity. The mucosa lining the oral cavity contains dendritic cells (DC) and Langerhans cells (LC), which express the C-type lectin receptors (CLR) DC-SIGN and Langerin, respectively. Both DC-SIGN and Langerin recognise mannose and fucose carbohydrate structures on pathogens and self-glycoproteins to regulate immunity and homeostasis. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether SAG interacts with these CLR and whether this interferes with the binding to oral pathogens. We show that whole parotid saliva and SAG, when coated to microplates, strongly interact with DC-SIGN and Langerin, probably via mannose and fucose structures. Also, primary human DC and LC bind parotid saliva and SAG via DC-SIGN and Langerin, respectively. Furthermore, SAG binding to DC-SIGN or Langerin prevented binding to the micro-organisms Candida albicans and Escherichia coli which express mannose and fucose-containing glycan structures. Thus, binding of saliva glycoprotein SAG to DC-SIGN and Langerin may inhibit pathogen-DC/LC interactions, and could prove to be a new immunomodulatory mechanism of SAG.

Evaluation of Salivary Secretor Status of Blood Group Antigens in Patients with Oral Lichen Planus

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between secretion or nonsecretion of blood group antigens into the saliva and oral lichen planus (OLP).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

In this study, 30 patients (women: 22, men: 8) with OLP were examined as the case group and 30 subjects without OLP matched for age and gender as the control group. Diagnosis of OLP was confirmed by clinical and histopathological examinations according to WHO criteria. The control group was randomly selected from healthy individuals without pathological oral changes seeking dental treatment. In both groups, blood group type was determined by hemagglutination, and unstimulated saliva was collected using the Navazesh technique. Establishment of salivary secretor status was carried out using the Wiener agglutination test. The data were analyzed using a Χ2 test, Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression.

RESULTS

The patients with OLP (cases), including 22 (36.7%) women and 8 (13.3%) men with a mean age of 51 ± 14.16 years, were compared with healthy subjects (controls), comprised of 25 (41.7%) women and 5 (8.3%) men with a mean age of 50.7 ± 13.56 years. A large majority of the people examined in both groups were secretors of blood group A. On the other hand, most OLP patients were blood group B. In the case group, 25 subjects (84.4%) were secretors and 5 (16.6%) were nonsecretors. In the control group, 24 subjects (80.0%) were secretors and 6 (20.0%) were nonsecretors. There was no significant difference between the case and control groups for secretor status (p = 0.73).

CONCLUSION

The present study did not indicate a significant difference in salivary secretor status between OLP patients compared to controls.

Mass spectrometry-based analyses showing the effects of secretor and blood group status on salivary N-glycosylation

Background

The carbohydrate portions of salivary glycoproteins play important roles, including mediating bacterial and leukocyte adhesion. Salivary glycosylation is complex. Many of its glycoproteins present ABO and Lewis blood group determinants. An individual’s genetic complement and secretor status govern the expression of blood group antigens. We queried the extent to which salivary glycosylation varies according to blood group and secretor status. First, we screened submandibular/sublingual and parotid salivas collected as ductal secretions for reactivity with a panel of 16 lectins. We selected three lectins that reacted with the largest number of glycoproteins and one that recognized uncommon lactosamine-containing structures. Ductal salivas representing a secretor with complex blood group expression and a nonsecretor with a simple pattern were separated by SDS-PAGE. Gel slices were trypsin digested and the glycopeptides were individually separated on each of the four lectins. The bound fractions were de-N-glycosylated. LC–MS/MS identified the original glycosylation sites, the peptide sequences, and the parent proteins.

Results

The results revealed novel salivary N-glycosites and glycoproteins not previously reported. As compared to the secretor, nonsecretor saliva had higher levels of N-glycosylation albeit with simpler structures.

Conclusions

Together, the results suggested a molecular basis for inter-individual variations in salivary protein glycosylation with functional implications for oral health.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12014-015-9100-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Evaluation of Lewis blood group antigens and secretor status in pemphigus vulgaris

BACKGROUND

There has not been publication of any previous study about the role of secretory status or Lewis phenotypes in the mechanisms of pemphigus vulgaris (PV).

AIM

To evaluate the frequencies of secretory status and Lewis phenotypes in patients with PV compared with healthy controls (HCs) in order determine their roles in this autoimmune disease.

METHODS

In total, 50 patients and 100 age- and sex-matched HCs were selected to form the study population, and 2 mL blood were collected from each subject to identify their Lewis phenotype. In subjects with the Le(a-b-) phenotype, saliva was also collected to determine secretor status.

RESULTS

The frequency of the nonsecretor (NS) phenotypes Le(a+b-) and Le(a-b-) together was significantly higher in patients than in HCs: 34/50 (68%)vs. 26/100 (26%), respectively (P < 0.001). All the patients and HC subjects with the Le (a-b-) phenotype were found to be NS by haemagglutination inhibition assay of saliva samples.

CONCLUSION

Based on our results, it seems that Le/b-negative NS individuals are more susceptible to PV.

Antibiotic prophylaxis to reduce the risk of joint implant contamination during dental surgery seems unnecessary

INTRODUCTION

Joint implant infection rates range between 0.5% and 3%. Contamination may be hematogenous, originating in oro-dental infection and, as in endocarditis, antibiotic prophylaxis has been recommended to cover oro-dental surgery in immunodepressed patients with joint implants less than 2 years old, despite the lack of any formal proof of efficacy. In this context, the cost and side effects of such prophylaxis raise the question of its real utility.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A search of Pubmed was performed using the following keywords: prosthetic joint infection, dental procedure, antibiotic prophylaxis, hematogenous infection, dental infection, bacteremia, and endocarditis. Six hundred and fifty articles were retrieved, 68 of which were analyzed in terms of orthopedic prosthetic infection and/or endocarditis and oro-dental prophylaxis, as relevant to the following questions: frequency and intensity of bacteremia of oro-dental origin, frequency of prosthetic joint infection secondary to dental surgery, and objective efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in dental surgery in patients with joint implants.

RESULTS

Bacteremia of oro-dental origin is more frequently associated with everyday activities such as mastication than with tooth extraction. Isolated cases of prosthetic contamination from dental infection have been reported, but epidemiological studies in joint implant bearers found that absence of antibiotic prophylaxis during oro-dental surgery did not increase the rate of prosthetic infection. The analysis was not able to answer the question of the efficacy of dental antibiotic prophylaxis in immunodepressed patients; however, oro-dental hygiene and regular dental treatment reduce the risk of prosthetic infection by 30%.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The present update is in agreement with the conclusions of ANSM expert group, which advised against antibiotic prophylaxis in oro-dental surgery in implant bearers, regardless of implant duration or comorbidity: the associated costs and risks are disproportional to efficacy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE AND TYPE OF STUDY: Level V; expert opinion.